Saving Stephanie
by Rangerbabe21
Summary: Sequel to Saving All My Women. Please read it first. Stephanie and Ranger are engaged to get married. They have their blissful day but then tragedy strikes again and again. Can Ranger keep saving Stephanie from the dangers she finds herself in and build a stronger relationship. Will Stephanie get tired of it all and decide the man in black is not worth the trouble. Babe HEA.
1. Chapter 1 Lula Says

Saving Stephanie

Sequel to Saving all my Women

If you haven't read Saving all my Women, you should read it before this story.

Credit for all main characters goes to JE. We thank her for creating them even if we don't like what she is currently doing with them.

Warning spoilers for all books up to 22.

Saving Stephanie

Chapter 1 Lula Says

Tuesday June 1 05:00

It was nice to wake at my regular time, in my own bed with Stephanie lying on top of me. I tried to scoot out from underneath her but she latched on and I had to chuckle to myself. She would hate me for waking her every day at five am, but I had to figure out a way to get her to let go. I grabbed my pillow, tucked it between us, then scooted away and she clutched at that pillow like a lifeline.

I ran five miles and began my rotating workout, maxing out on chest, biceps, abs and quads today. I went up to seven to see if Stephanie was awake and would shower with me but she was still sound asleep. I accepted that she needed more sleep than me on any given day but I was hoping a few times a week she might get up earlier to shower and eat breakfast with me.

I called Ella and told her I would have breakfast when Stephanie got up. I left a note for Stephanie that I was waiting on her for breakfast and to call me when she got up. I went down to my office and started digging through the pile of paperwork I knew was there waiting for me. I then went to the 08:00 meeting so I could start to get caught up with the routine of what was going on in the building.

When the meeting was over I went upstairs to find Babe was in the shower and probably hadn't seen my note. I called Ella for breakfast and waited for Stephanie to come out. She burst from the bathroom on a blast of steam and drew up short when she saw me.

"Oh, I didn't think you were in the apartment." She gushed.

"Just got back up here." I offered. "I called Ella for breakfast about five minutes ago." I warned her.

"Okay" she responded and disappeared into the closet.

I wanted to go into the closet and change clothes just so I could see her naked, hot and pink skinned from her shower.

We ate in companionable silence, me methodically making my way through my lox bagel with sliced avocado, her moaning her way through waffles and eggs. After breakfast we retired to my home office and I started to go through what I considered to be our business.

"Babe we need to get you a car. For now you can take any vehicle from the fleet or if you want my Porsche Cayenne to pick up skips in. Later we can go car shopping for you. Is there a certain type of car you would like?"

"A smaller SUV. Something with four doors that is easy to get in and out of. I don't need anything new. In fact with my track record with cars I'd rather it not be new."

"Any reason you don't want a new car?"

"It just hurts too much when they get destroyed." She responded.

"I'd like to stop by my attorney's office today and get these signed." I lifted the pages of paperwork we had read through yesterday. "Other than that, there is one very important thing for us to discuss today." I offered.

"What?" She was curious.

"Your safety going forward."

"What about my safety going forward?" She already had her hackles coming up.

"My enemies are going to come after you to get to me. It's going to be worse right up front for a while so I want to error on the side of caution."

"What do you mean?" Stephanie asked.

"I have already set up a warning system of threat levels. The level of threat we have going on a daily basis will determine the level of protection you get."

"Like what exactly are you talking about?"

"There are four threat levels: yellow, orange, red and red alert statuses. Yellow is a moderate threat level of danger and means you will have two guys with you whenever you leave the building. Orange is a little higher threat level and requires a team with you and a team following you. Red is a very high or critical threat level and means a team with you, two teams following you and Tank or me with you every time you leave the building."

"Wait a minute, that's crazy. With that much threat level and that many personnel you aren't going to let me leave the building. Not to go out and do my job or live my life."

"You would only leave if absolutely necessary. You're right you wouldn't be able to do your job or run around doing errands or shopping."

"Ranger you can't expect me to live like that." She was frustrated.

"Not every day, just when the threat is high enough. The last threat level is Red Alert and it means extreme and imminent danger and you will be totally confined to the building."

"Ranger seriously, that is ridiculous. I'm not going to agree to this. You must think I'm crazy if I'm going to agree to a four man team following me everywhere and having you or Tank with me all the time. It's not happening!" She was up pacing back and forth in my little office, waving her arms as she spoke and punctuating her points with her hands.

She glared at me for a moment then continued her rant.

"Forget me being the crazy one! You're the crazy one if you think for one moment I'm going to agree to all of that. 'Cause I'm not. You're not going to lock me up because you think I'm too delicate. I'm not a wilting flower you have to protect at every turn. I have to go live my life and then if there is some threat we can talk about some possible safety precautions but I have never run from my problems or from danger or from crazy people and I'm not going to start now!"

She kept going, explaining about how she didn't need anyone to protect her and this wasn't any more threat than what she was used to and how just because we were engaged she wasn't going to let me run her life.

She may as well have been arguing with the wall, cause I sure as hell wasn't going to budge on her safety. For an hour she kept going and I was letting her talk and pace till she ran out of steam when she finally got to two critical flaws in my plan.

"Wait a minute," she declared, "where is the green on your chart? The low level threat where all I have to do is carry a panic button and a tracker? I still have the watch you gave me. You're already tracking me everywhere I go and it has a built-in panic button too so I should be free to go and do what I want and when there is a threat we can discuss possible protection options."

"Babe." I say, meaning that is not enough protection and it is not happening.

"Besides who or what determines what the threat level is on any given day? Are you just going to make it up based on what you perceive the threat to be?"

I knew this needed an answer. "The threat level on any given day is founded on the information I have available based on known threats in the area."

"That's not an answer. That is a guess. You will always think there is a big threat to my safety and always want at least two guys with me all the time. I think that we are at a green, nobody even knows we are together yet. I have my watch, if there is a problem I will push the button."

"Stephanie as my wife there is no more green for you. I have dangerous enemies that would love to hurt you to get to me. That would kidnap you to get me to do things for them. I carry two guns and a knife every day for a reason, even while in my own building, and you need the same level of protection all the time as well."

"Fine. I'll carry my gun and it will even be loaded." She agreed.

"You carrying your baby Glock with six bullets is not going to be enough. You are not even aware enough of your surroundings to go out alone." I was determined to make her see sense.

"Fine." She slammed out of the office door. I figured I would let her cool down then we could talk about it more later.

Minutes later I heard her knocking around in the closet. Then the front door to the apartment very quietly opened and closed. I turned on the camera to the elevator only to find it empty and on five. The stairwell camera showed her flying down all seven flights of stairs and out the garage door. She got into the Cayenne and left with a screech of tires. I turned on her watch tracker and in a separate window the Cayenne tracker. Then I dispatched a team to follow her.

She went to Tasty Pastry and then to the bonds office where she parked for a while. I turned on the bonds office cameras and for the first time regretted that there was no sound. Normally with Vinnie's barnyard animal noises and Connie and Lula gossiping about everyone it wasn't a sound track I wanted to hear but today would be different. Today, I wished I could be a fly on those walls and listen to everything being said because surely, she would complain to the girls. Then I remembered her watch.

Of course I had the watch programmed to broadcast on demand. If ever she was kidnapped and didn't think to turn it on or couldn't turn it on I could turn it on remotely and listen to what was happening. If she happened to look down at the watch she would see the red plus sign and know her watch had been activated but she is not that aware of her surroundings, at least I hoped she wasn't today.

All I heard was Connie telling her there was no backlog of skips because RangeMan had been taking them all. Then I heard her reading a file out loud and asking Lula if she wanted to ride along. Once she was settled in the car, I parked myself in my office on five and closed myself in, hoping I could get some paperwork done while I listened to her bitch to Lula about the wrongness of it all.

"Lula you don't understand. He wants me to agree to this level of security all the time. Every day! Two men following me around. Sitting with me in the car on a stakeout waiting for some low level skip to appear."

"What did he say exactly?"

"That he determines the threat level and depending on the threat level I will have two or more guards with me every day." _Damn straight two men to make sure she is safe._

"Huh. That's rather pushy of him but really what's so bad 'bout having those fine men taggin' along with you everywhere you go? At least you'll have something to look at." _She better NOT be looking at my men._

"Lula it's not just that, he wants me to agree to be locked up in the building. To agree that if he deems the threat high enough I'm going to let him confine me to the RangeMan building." _If it's needed, no matter what I'm going to keep her safe._

"Now that's no good. How are you suppose' to be livin' your life if he got you all locked up and shit?"

"I know! I don't know what he is thinking. When have I ever run and hid from a threat. I mean with the Slayers I was hiding out in his apartment at night but I was still going out during the day doing my job." _Wearing a flack vest and scared out of her mind_.

"What about the guy with the snakes and spiders and shit. You was scared then." _Oh Abruzzi, she wasn't nearly as afraid as she should have been._

"Yeah Abruzzi was a whole other crazy. He wasn't a skip or anything. I don't know why he fixated on me like that." _She does seem to attract a level of crazy to her all the time._

"So girl who's we lookin' fo?"

"Carl Blackwell."

"What's he look like?"

"He is a 78 year old white guy who stole a bottle of vodka from Rose's Liquor store. Said his social security ran out and he had to have some liquor, said he would pay it back when he got his next check. But they caught him on tape and the police went to his house and arrested him. He probably just forgot his court date."

I heard them getting out of the car and walking up to the door.

"You knock and I'll stun him." Lula suggested.

"You can't stun him, he's old he'll probably have a heart attack. Let's just talk to him and see if he will come with us nicely."

"Fine I know I got my gun in here somewhere," She said as she rummaged through her purse. "I'll threaten to shoot him." Lula offered.

"No, no gun and no threatening him. We're just going to talk to him." Stephanie was firm.

"Fine, you know you sure have a lot of rules." Lula sounded disgusted.

I heard a knock on the door.

"Gonna have ta knock louder than that he's probably deaf and needs hearin' aides. You hear that TV? It sounds like it's at full volume upstairs."

I hear another knock and Stephanie yell, "Mr. Blackwell, Carl Blackwell I need to speak to you."

After a few minutes of silence I heard Lula speak, "Someone's comin'. The TV got turned down and I can hear footsteps on the stairs." I heard a door open.

"Mr. Blackwell," I hear Stephanie start her spiel, "I'm Stephanie Plum, I represent your bail bondsman, you missed your court date. I need to take you down town and get you rescheduled."

"I went back to the liquor store and paid them." I hear an old warbly voice speaking. "They said they would drop the charges."

"That's fine, that's all you need to tell the judge. If you'll just come with me." Stephanie encouraged.

"I'm not going nowhere missy, I'm watching my TV and I'm not missing my Judge Judy so I can go deal with something I've already dealt with."

"Mr. Blackwell, you missed your court date. I need to take you in and get you rescheduled." I heard the click of a cuff being put on.

"Hey, hey! You can't do this to me. I have rights. Police! Police! Somebody call the police!"

"There is no need for all of that. I'll take you down to the police station and they will get you straightened out." I hear the click of the other cuff and then a Whumpf as he sat down.

"Mr. Blackwell, you can walk or we can drag you but you are going to come with us." Stephanie insisted.

"I'm not going with you. I told you I'm not missing my court TV. Next is Judge Mathis and he is really good."

I hear dragging and the opening of a car door.

"He lost a shoe." Lula said.

"Grab it, we don't want him shoeless. Mr. Blackwell you might as well stand up. It will be less painful for you just to get into the car. I have an idea, we'll go by the liquor store and talk to the manager. If you have paid for the liquor we will have him come down and talk to the judge. Then you'll have your own real live court TV."

"You'd do that for me?"

"Of course Mr. Blackwell. We just need to get your case resolved."

I heard the car door slam.

While I am listening, I am working. Checking on the Columbian account and making sure payroll is going to be paid. I emailed Hector and ask him to hack into Sergio's emails and find the ones from Boris. To follow the trail and find out where they are coming from.

A few minutes later I hear the car door open again.

"Stay here with Mr. Blackwell. I'll go talk to the manager." Stephanie said.

"Hi, where is the manager?"

"The owner is in his office in the back."

"Hi Mr. Rose, my name is Stephanie Plum. I have Mr. Blackwell with me. He stole a bottle of vodka from you last month and you pressed charges. Now he said he came back and paid for it and you haven't dropped the charges."

"He has come in and bought more but he hasn't paid for the bottle he stole so I haven't dropped the charges."

"If I bring him in now can he pay for the bottle?"

"Young lady I appreciate what you are trying to do, but I'm afraid if I let him off that easy he'll just come back and steal from me again. This was the fourth time in a row he has stolen from here. I want him to go to court and realize this is serious business, that he can't just steal anytime he needs something."

"Fine I'll take him in and get his court date rescheduled." Stephanie didn't sound happy.

I heard walking. She is such a good and caring person to have a job like this but she is nothing if not fair and willing to uphold the law. I hear the car start but there is a knock at my office door. I knew I should take my work upstairs and work from my home office but everyone in the control room knows Stephanie has left the building and there is a team following her. So I have no more excuse not to be down here working.

"Enter" I order.

"Just more paperwork for you to sign off on." Tank says as he brings a stack of folders and puts them down on the corner of my desk. He leaves immediately and I turn the volume back up on my computer.

"Mr. Blackwell, I'm sure you know what I'm going to say."

I hear some mumbling.

"Yes you haven't paid for the liquor bottle and it's the fourth one you have stolen. He wants you to pay for the ones you have taken and to stop taking them anymore."

I hear more mumbling. I wonder if there is a more sensitive mic that is small and can be put in the watch.

I hear doors open and close.

"I'm here to turn in Carl Blackwell." I hear Stephanie say. "Here is his file. I just need a body receipt."

"Thank you. Mr. Blackwell pay the liquor store, show up to court and you won't find me on your doorstep again."

I hear walking and doors opening and closing.

"So where to now?" Stephanie asks.

"I didn't really have any breakfast and that worked me up an appetite. I say we go to Cluck-n-a-Bucket." Lula declared.

They drove in silence and I hear Stephanie order a bucket of extra crispy chicken with the works and two large Cokes. I hear her pay and the rustling of bags. Good, they are staying in the car to eat and talk and not air all this out in the restaurant.

Then I hear eating. I am starting to wonder if they are ever going to get back to discussing Stephanie's problem.

"So girl, what exactly is the problem again? Big man in black wants to protect you and you just want to live your life. Is there a reason he is being so over protective?" _Besides the fact I'm in love with you?_

"You don't know this but the guys that kidnapped me before we left for our little vacation, made a video of a woman."

"Yeah everyone has heard of the video. Her name was Crystal or something and she was a ho and they hired her for the night and then they did all those nasty things to her, tied her down and everything and then killed her. Glad I ain't a ho no more."

"Yeah, well in the video they make it look like it was me they are doing all those things to. I guess she had curly hair like me and they didn't show her face only showing her from behind." _That video took years off my life!_

"Yeah they tied her up face down on a bed."

"Anyway, they threatened to do the same thing to all the women in his family. That's why he took everyone away."

"So it was like a forced vacation?"

"With thirty three of his men to guard us."

"Oh man, Batman in charge! So where did he take you?"

"First to someplace in Florida, but then the bad guys found us there in the middle of the night and he packed everyone up and moved us to California." _Good way to keep it vague, I always worry about her talking to Lula because Lula is a big gossip and Stephanie is always good subject matter that people want to hear about._

"I've always wanted to go to California."

"Yeah he put us all up in three houses on the beach there."

"Do you have pictures?"

"Not with me. He gave us phones to use on the trip only to call each other, the other people on the trip, and I took pictures on it but I left it back at the apartment."

"You're going to have to bring it in tomorrow and show us the pictures of this vacation." Lula demanded.

"Well it was like a vacation with big men in black following us everywhere we went."

"So what did Mr. Tall Dark and Mysterious let you do in California or did he lock you all away?"

"Honestly no one could have blamed him for locking us away but I went out with his family with two men on every woman. Oshanna, that's his youngest sister, and Julio his brother and Angelia one of his older sisters and I went on a LA Star's tour with a bunch of his men."

"Bet that was awesome."

"They showed us all the famous sights around the city, took us to the boardwalk and showed us lots of mansions. Then the next day Oshanna and I went on a fashion tour. It was amazing and I got several new outfits."

I was distracted as I tried to do paperwork and listen to the women talk.

"Girl where did you get the money to be shoppin' in LA?"

"He gave me a Rangeman credit card with no limit and told me to buy something nice."

"He didn't!"

"He gave one to everyone in the family, course unlike me, they all had limits."

"Huh, that be crazy. Why he be givin' everybody money like that?"

"He had to because he took all our cards away, all our debit cards and all of our credit cards and gave everyone a RangeMan card we could use for the trip."

"Damn. Why did he do that?"

"Because with the right program you can be tracked using your credit cards and people can find out where you used them and find you."

"Oh I didn't know that."

"Yeah I've tracked down people using their credit cards before and he didn't want us to leave any electronic trail. He even gave me a fake ID to use. Look."

"Bonito 'Bonnie' Guerrero." Lula read.

"Yeah, we couldn't use our own IDs. It's Spanish it means beautiful fighter."

"Wow he went to some strange excesses to keep you safe." _I will do everything I have to do to keep her safe._

"He was doing everything he could think of but the bad guys found us again."

"What?"

"Yeah he took us all to Universal Studios Hollywood one day and they found us and kidnapped six of us from the bathroom?"

"Oh my god girl, what did you do?"

"He has a tracker on me and he tracked me down in minutes."

"He has a tracker on you?"

"Yeah he gave me this watch."

"Oh my god girl! Is that what I think that is? You are talkin' 'bout a watch but what about the rock on your finger? You got engaged to Batman and didn't tell me?"

"Oh yeah, that's what this whole thing is about. We got engaged in Florida. It was so romantic, he took me out on the beach, with the waves crashing, the wind blowing, the sun was shining it was beautiful and he got down on one knee and proposed to me _." From the wistful tone of her voice it sounds like she still loves me, even if she is mad at me; good to know._

"What happened to Officer Hottie? I thought you two were together when this whole thing started." _Of course Lula would have to bring him up._

"We were. I got kidnapped out of his bed, but Ranger clued me into the fact that Morelli has been sleeping around on me."

"Well girl we've all heard the rumors, but I thought that was only when you two were broken up and you were broken up as much as you were together so nobody thought too much about it."

"I called Joe and asked him and he told me that it's been going on since Hawaii. That's when he knew I was sleeping with Ranger and so he felt like he should be getting some on the side too."

"You can't blame a man for wanting to get some while you were broken up."

"Except that it wasn't only when we were broken up. A while back he asked me to have an open relationship with him, that we could see who ever we wanted. So he has been seeing some of these women even while we have been together and I can't take that. I know I agreed to an open relationship but I didn't think he was sleeping around. It is too much like cheating and what Dickie did to me. So I broke up with him for good."

"Huh. That's harsh, so he was cheating on you like for real and you weren't takin' advantage of Ranger on the side?"

"No, Ranger and I were together in Hawaii but we haven't maintained a personal relationship like that. Not that he didn't want to, it's just that I have been trying to keep him at arm's length. He made it clear a long time ago that he didn't want any kind of real relationship and I made it clear I wasn't really a one night stand kind of girl so we have been dancing around each other but not actually doing any dancing if you know what I mean."

"Girl I know what you are talkin' bout. So what changed? Cause now you're wearing his ring."

"Me getting kidnapped from Morelli's bed was an eye opener. It showed Ranger that I truly wasn't safe anywhere but with him and it showed him that he has gotten too close to me. That his enemies know about me now and I'm going to be in danger whether I am in his bed or not so he decided that he would rather have me in his bed."

"So he gave you that ring?"

"Yes, as soon as I broke up with Morelli he got the ring out and gave it to me."

"And he gave you the watch as well. Are those real diamonds?" _I thought about turning the sound off but the light flashing off may draw her attention._

"He says they are real, but this is a special watch. It is a tracker and a panic alarm. All I have to do is push this button on the side and hey the plus sign is already lit. I guess I hit it and didn't notice."

She must have leaned down really close to the watch because really loudly I heard, "Sorry I accidentally hit the button. I'm sure you could tell nothing was wrong." And the sound went dead.

Damn she shut me off. I was going to wait a minute and turn it back on.

I stared at the screen and waited for two minutes, finally I couldn't wait anymore and turned it back on.

"So then we went to Hawaii." Stephanie was saying.

"He took you to Hawaii?"

"For a week long cruise, and it was great, but one morning, he didn't get off the boat with us and the killer who had been hiring all the bad guys found us and shot at us. All of our guards threw us against some cars and pinned us in with their bodies. The shooting went on forever. There was a cop with us who was supposed to be protecting us but he just pulled his gun and hid. Lester stole the cop's gun and went and got the bad guy and the shooting stopped. The police finally showed up and they arrested Lester for stealing the cop's gun."

"Girl you know I don't like cops and that is one reason why; they don't got to follow the law themselves and will arrest you for any reason they make up, even when you don't deserve it."

"Yeah well, Ranger got him released quickly then he came back to the boat. Told us we were all safe and took us to go look at a volcano at night."

"A volcano?"

"Yeah there is this really cool volcano there. Remember Brody Logan, the guy with the tiki?"

"Yeah you stole his tiki hoping to catch him." Lula remembered.

"Well this volcano is where Pele the goddess lives and that's where he stole the tiki from. Anyway Ranger took the whole family to see the volcano at night, it glows and you can see the lava spewing out. Then the next day we took a tour of a seahorse farm and then we got back on the cruise ship."

"Wow it seems like you did a lot."

"Yeah Ranger always made sure we had plenty to do. There were three more days left and he took me ziplining and snorkeling with turtles and on the last day he took me skydiving."

"Skydiving? Like you jumped out of a perfectly good plane?"

"Yeah tandem, I was attached to this guy Grace, and he did all the work. When we stepped out on the ledge I was like, 'nope not going let's go back in' and then he jumped off and we were falling and flipping through the air and he spun us around and around and then Ranger caught up with us and was falling with me and that was so cool, then he pulled the chute and it was so peaceful and beautiful and you could see the whole island and we just floated down and then the ground was rushing up at us and I thought we were going to crash and Grace landed us really easy on our feet and there we were on the ground safe and sound." _It was really nice to hear exactly what she thought about the whole experience._

"That's crazy, that's some shit! I would never jump out of a perfectly good plane."

"It was such a rush. I can't say it was fun, fun is not the word for it. But it is exciting and you kinda think you are going to die, but you are strapped to this guy who is like all chill and like 'no worries I do this all day'. And then you are going and it is so beautiful and the flipping was fun, but my heart was beating so fast and I really thought we were going to crash, but then he brings you safely to the ground and you are like okay."

"Damn girl that's something else."

"So anyway we got back Sunday and he moved me into his apartment yesterday, and my grannie moved into my apartment so it's not like I can go back there and now he is demanding I have a bodyguard 24/7. Not just one bodyguard, two bodyguards."

"Wait a minute, hold the phone! Girl you tellin' me that you moved into the Batcave?" Lula sounded more excited than she had about us getting engaged.

"Well I moved in with Ranger but it is not the Batcave, it's just a nice apartment in town." _Dios I hoped she didn't tell Lula too much!_

"Where is it?"

"I can't really tell you that, it's still a secret and it won't be secure if everybody knows where he lives." _Good at least she knows this._

"So tell me 'bout this apartment."

"It's nice, decorated masculine but clean. There is no clutter anywhere and no pictures, no books, no magazines. Ella, the lady that cleans his office building, maintains his apartment too. But it's nothing too fancy, it does have a large walk in closet but it's nothing compared to your closet." Stephanie offered.

"Yeah girl my closet is the shit. So you moved into his apartment and he what? Thinks he owns you?" Lula demanded.

"No he just thinks I need at least two bodyguards all the time."

"Why do you need two bodyguards?"

"Because he has enemies and like the guys that kidnapped the woman and killed her they would kidnap me and hurt me to get at him." Stephanie sounded resigned. _At least she logically understands the danger even if emotionally she can't conceptualize it right now._

"Cupcake" I heard quietly, like it was said from a distance.

"Uh oh, looks like Officer Hottie wants to talk." Lula said. _Fuck! I knew he would want to talk to her again but I was hoping it would be when she was in a better mood and not so mad at me. I worried what she would say to him while we are having our first argument._

To be continued…

Here we go again! I am excited to welcome you on another ride. I thank you all for reading, favoriting and following. I look forward to hearing what you all think. Be gentle, Ranger's and Steph's first fight and my first time writing Lula. Thank you for reading and all your reviews. I love them all!

Thank you to my Beta Sassysaint for signing up to do it again. You are my coach and cheerleader and I am grateful! Thank you!

My sister Jonelle has never read a single FanFiction story. She is just too busy as a RN and manager at a local hospital. But she is overly logical and left brained and she has volunteered to edit for me. She is a nurse but she could have been an editor or an English teacher in another life because she catches all my comma's, apostrophes and most of my spelling mistakes so you don't have to read them. I am very grateful she is willing to take time out of her busy schedule to review and edit my work. Thank you Jonelle.


	2. Chapter 2 Hope

Saving Stephanie

Chapter 2 Hope

" _Cupcake" I heard quietly, like it was said from a distance._

" _Uh oh, looks like Officer Hottie wants to talk." Lula said. Fuck! I knew he would want to talk to her again but I was hoping it would be when she was in a better mood and not so mad at me._

I heard the window rolling down.

"Hey Joe."

"Cupcake, I didn't know you were back. Why don't we go somewhere we can talk in private?"

"Sorry Joe, I'm busy right now. Just say whatever you need to say and let's get this over with." Stephanie said.

"Come on Cupcake, we have stuff to discuss. I need some private time alone with you. Why don't you let me take you out to dinner at Pino's? Or you can come to my house where we can have some privacy and order in?" _Hell no was she coming to his house for a private dinner. Personally I wanted him to say what he had to say right then so I could hear him._

"Joe, it's over. I don't have anything else to say to you. I'm an engaged woman now. I can't come over to your house anymore." _Good at least she is drawing boundaries._

"Steph you are not giving me a fair chance. I was going to save up for a ring for you but you didn't seem like you wanted me to so I have been spending my money other ways."

"Joe I already have a ring."

"It's beautiful. What is that two carats?"

"No it's three but that is not the point. He had a ring because he really wanted to marry me even if he didn't think I would say yes. He bought me a ring because that is what he wanted. You bought a billiard table and now you are saving up for your garage. If you really wanted to marry me you would have been saving up for that and not screwing around on me."

"I wasn't screwing around on you. We agreed we could see other people. You were seeing Ranger and I had a friend or two I would see when we weren't together."

"But that's the thing. I wasn't seeing Ranger. I wasn't sleeping with anyone but you while you were sleeping around with the whole neighborhood."

"Not the whole neighborhood, don't blow this out of proportion. It started when we were broken up because we were broken up so often. We've been so on again off again I was tired of being left alone."

"Well now you don't have to be alone and you don't have to worry about me because I'm not alone. You can go be with your friends as much as you want."

"Cupcake don't be like this. Let me have another chance. I can get you a ring. I can be faithful. I just didn't know that's what you really wanted."

"Joe I'm going to be very honest with you. Brutally honest. Can you handle that?"

"Sure, say what's on your mind."

"When I was finally honest with myself I realized I didn't want that with you. We fight and break up because we are not compatible long term with each other. You're a good Italian Burg guy. You're quite the catch but I didn't want to catch you or get caught by you. Sometimes it worked and we were comfortable, but honestly I'm not what you really want either."

"Cupcake I love you, you are what I want in my life. You are the one I want to marry and be the mother of my children."

"Exactly, you want a domesticated woman that wants to stay home and cook and clean and have children with you. That's not me. I want to work. I like my job and you hate it. We always fight and break up because while we may like each other we both want different things."

"I can wait. You can't do your job forever."

"No Joe, it's time you are honest with yourself. You want someone to take care of you, cook dinner every night, have kids and stay home to raise them. That is what you really want. What you were raised to want. There is nothing wrong with that. Look at your current friends and figure out who fits that bill. Who is right for more than just bedroom time? Who will cook clean and take care of you and if none of them will; quit playing around on the side and find someone who wants to."

"But that's you. It was always supposed to be you."

"No Joe, that's not me and it will never be. Besides I'm engaged to a man I truly love. Ranger is giving us a chance for a lifetime. He is serious about being in a relationship with me and I love him. I'm happy. Be happy for me Joe and go find someone who makes you happy."

"Cupcake."

"No Joe, it's over and don't call me Cupcake anymore. I'm not yours, I'm taken and you need to respect that."

"Stephanie don't do this."

"Joe it's already done and you were just as much a part of it as me. Be honest with yourself. We never got along that's why we always broke up and it was never going to work. We would never have been happy long term."

"But I was happy with you."

"Only for short periods of time then we would argue and fight and break up again. Joe let me go. I'm happy. I'm with the right man, now you need to go find yourself the right woman."

"But Stephanie I'm supposed to be with you."

"Joe if you really wanted to be with me and only me we would have been working hard to make the relationship work. You would have accepted me for how I am and accepted my job. But you never did. You went out and found more personal friends to spend time with."

"That was only till you got your head out of the clouds and got serious about us."

"Joe I loved you, but I don't anymore. I've moved on. It's over and it's time for you to move on too."

"I hear what you're saying but it's not going to be that easy for me. I still love you. I will always love you. If it doesn't work out with him I'll always be here for you."

"Thanks Joe but it's time for you to move on."

"Bye Cupcake."

"Goodbye Joe."

"Wow Girl, Officer Hottie looks crushed." Lula observed.

"I know but he needs to get over me and move on."

"Cause you got Mr. Scorching Hot, Fine as Hell and Hunky with a three carat ring. Who can compete with that?"

"He did ask me first but I told Joe the truth. We never would have worked." Stephanie said.

"So now you got Batman and already there is trouble in paradise?"

"Well he offered me paradise but it's got bars on the windows."

"So he wants to keep you safe?" Lula wondered.

"Yeah but he can't just lock me up to keep me safe. That will never work! I can't live like that."

"What are we talkin' about here? Saving you from the guys that always be stalkin' you and shit?" Lula questioned.

"He's worried about anyone getting me." Stephanie complained.

"Like when you were taken by the Slayers and they were going to hurt you?" Lula questioned.

"Yeah or worse."

"Like the guy that set your hair on fire and blew up in your living room?"

"Yeah like Orin, he was crazy. He is a good example because he was one of Ranger's crazies. He came after me thinking Ranger and I were together. But we weren't together back then." _Babe I had a man on you then and Orin still got through. If there had been two men with you in your apartment you would have been safe._

"And Ranger is worried more crazies from his life are going to come after you?" _I know they will._

"Yeah he keeps telling me he carries two guns and a knife for a reason, and he knows martial arts and is a badass and can defend himself. I mean he's Batman. Then there is me, I don't usually carry a gun, I'm supposed to start taking self-defense classes but it's nothing like what Ranger can do. He just makes it sound like so many people are going to be after me now." Stephanie grumbled. _I don't know who is going to come out of the woodwork after I send the video of Sergio out but someone is going to test me and you are what they are going to test me with._

"More than the people who already come after you?" Lula questioned.

"Yeah and more dangerous." Stephanie sighed. _Definitely more dangerous._

"Let me get this straight, bad guys are going to come after you on account that they can't get Ranger so they will hurt you instead?"

"That's what he says." _Like I would ever lie to her._

"Girl I'd be takin' him up on some of that protection shit. I don't know about being locked in the building but having two guys with you to help you catch some of your skips would be useful, you see what I'm saying? You'd be safe, Batman would be happy, and you would have help with your hard skips. As long as I can still come too," she rushed on "you know to talk and keep you company and shit." _And pull her gun and shoot someone like she does._

"Yeah cause none of his guys really talk. Lester and Bobby will talk some but most of them are like walls. Stoic silent types that don't talk or move for hours. I swear if I didn't offer them food they wouldn't eat, they would just go hungry all day."

"And they probably all eat the carrot food Ranger lives on."

"No most of them eat pretty normally, it's just that Ranger has Ella cooking low fat, high nutrition foods for them and sweets aren't allowed."

"No sweets?" Lula questioned looking horrified.

"Well he makes an exception for me. He has Ella make me dessert and lets me bring donuts in occasionally but I eat them fast or hide them because if he doesn't come and take them away one of the guys will swoop in and eat them." Stephanie explained. _She is exaggerating, I may give her a hard time about eating donuts but I have never tried to take them away. I like my hands attached thank you very much!_

"You mentioned her before but who is Ella?"

"So you know how he has the RangeMan building down on Hayward?

"The seven story brick building?"

"Yeah that one. Well he has a lady there named Ella who cleans the building and cooks for the men who are working there. They have a nice breakroom that she keeps stocked with food all day."

"So you say she will cook for you?"

"Yeah sometimes with dinner he will have her make some dessert just for me cause he won't let her bake sweets for the men." _Of course I do, don't you know I would do anything for you?_

"If you were locked in the building would he go out and get you sweets like donuts, ice cream or chocolate?" _I might not go but I would consider sending one of my men._

"I don't know? He might not go buy something but I think he would let Ella make me something." _Definitely anything Ella makes would be healthier. Ella likes to cook for Stephanie because she keeps half of the dessert left in her place for Louis and herself but wouldn't cook it for themselves without a reason like Stephanie._

"What about pizza or fried chicken? You know when you be stressin' you be needin' some fried foods." _Ella can make delicious baked chicken that tastes better and juicier than fried._

"I don't know. Personally I think if I was locked up in the building he would do whatever he could to keep me from going crazy." _Damn straight I would, at least she knows that._

"Huh. Girl it don't sound too bad to me. You know what I'm sayin'? He be tryin' to keep you safe on account of all his bad guys trying to get you. What's wrong with that?"

"What's wrong with it is he decided all of it on his own without asking me and when I tried to talk to him about it he turned into a blank wall. No comments, no reaction, he wasn't listening to anything I said. This is my safety we are talking about I should have some input _." I listened to everything she said I just didn't agree with most of it._

"Yes it's your life, you should have some say." Lula agreed.

"And he wasn't even willing to discuss it. He had made up his mind and he was determined to stick by it." _Damn. I know she doesn't follow orders. I knew what I was doing was not the right way to go about it but I didn't see any other way._

"Well Mr. Too Hot for his Pants, control freak should tell you how dangerous it is and then discuss a level of security you're comfortable with on account that it's your life and your safety we are talkin' about." _I listened hard to this statement and started planning how I would do things differently in the future. Explain and discuss, it sounded so simple but I was a man used to giving orders and having them followed, not having to explain myself and take someone else's thoughts into consideration._

"I know."

"So what if the shoe was on the other foot?"

"What do you mean?"

"Girl you need to see it from his point of view. What if you were the badass, knowing karate and some shit, strapped to the gills and he didn't really know how to protect hisself and he didn't carry no weapons and his life was being threatened, you see what I'm sayin'? What would you do to protect him?" _Good question, get her thinking about that!_

I could hear Stephanie laughing. "I don't know, I can't hardly imagine Ranger not able to protect himself."

"So pretend he is your brother-in-law, what's his name? Clown?"

"Albert Kloughn"

"If someone was really after Kloughn, trying to kidnap him to hold him for ransom, or to try to blackmail you into doing something, or were trying to kill him, and you loved him like you love Ranger, what would you do to protect him?" _Yeah Babe what would you do if I was as helpless as you?_

"Are you saying I'm fat and doughy?" _Soft and sweet, not fat._

"No imagine if Ranger was as defenseless as old Albert and there were bad guys after him on account that they really wanted to hurt you and you could assign two Rangemen studs to protect him, or give him a gun, or stun gun? What would you do to protect him?" _I waited on baited breath to hear her answer._

"I don't know, I want to pull my eyes out of my head and burn them for that image. Albert Kloughn needing me to protect him cause he is in my bed is gross. Bless Valerie, I don't know how she got pregnant by him cause I couldn't do it." _I was laughing at that statement. Stephanie would love me even if I didn't look as good as I look but I know she appreciates my hard body._

"Ok think of some of the bad guys you have faced, like the guy with the flame thrower. What would you do to protect Ranger from that?"

"Just about anything."

"Or Sunny's guys throwing you in cement and going to shoot you in that little room?"

"I'm not sure."

"Or the flea guy stunning you and shooting you up with what he thought was infected rats blood?"

"Ranger could have over powered him."

"Not after he ran him over with his van and then stunned him."

"Ranger is so big and heavy after he got him down on the pavement he would have never been able to lift him into the back of his van."

"Girl you don't know that. Just because he looks scrawny doesn't mean he's weak. He picked you up and hauled you around." _Yeah but I have a hundred pounds on her._

"Ranger would have had his lock picking tools on him and would have picked his way out of the handcuffs and gotten himself and the other guy free."

"But you're thinking of Ranger as him, you got to think of him like Albert. Helpless."

"The flea guy's not a good example cause I didn't know he was after me. There would have been no time for Ranger to assign men to protect me." _But Babe, that's the thing, I need to be ready to protect you every day from the threats you don't know are out there._

"But if his bad guys try to get you there won't be any warning. They aren't normally going to tell him in advance they are coming. So how can he protect you, with only a panic button?"

"Well I have my watch, but I can see the advantages of having men nearby." _I instantly knew what she was going to say and I turned off the watch as she was saying it. I waited three minutes and turned it back on._

"I just can't imagine Ranger as helpless."

"Girl you are not helpless either but if you have badass bad guys like that Russian, what was his name?"

"Vladco"

"Girl you see what I'm sayin'? What would you do if you had badass bad guys like Vladco or even Ranger coming after you? How would you set up the protection detail?" Y _eah Babe, if you set up a protection detail I couldn't get through you would be 99% safe._

"I don't know. I guess a team of Rangeman would be a deterrent but Ranger could get through that easily." _Yep two men wouldn't even slow me down if I was after you._

"So what then would you do?"

"If Ranger was after me I think two teams of armed men would work." _Two teams wouldn't stop me but would slow me down at least._

"Round the clock protection?"

"I guess."

"What about your average stalker? What would have prevented most of your bad guys from taking you?"

"Honestly one team of men and a panic button would be enough for most of the bad guys I have had to deal with."

"What would have stopped you from getting thrown off that bridge?"

"A team of men with me would have stopped them."

"What if they shot them and grabbed you?"

"That's where my panic button comes in."

"So girl what are we really talking about then? Batman wants to keep you safe and he knows his enemies are going to come after you. Are you going to wait until you get grabbed again or killed before you let him protect you?" _This was the point I wanted her to get and Lula was making it for me; I smiled inside._

"No I guess not. I just don't want to be locked up in the building."

"Is that what he's goin' to do?"

"Only if the threat level is Extreme or Red Alert, as he called it."

"And what threat would be a Red Alert?"

"I don't actually know. We didn't discuss it." _I needed to have our next discussion better strategized and planned out. I needed to lead her to the answers like Lula is not try to force them down her throat._

"I know you're mad at him, and if he tries to lock you up for no reason you would have every right to be mad at him, but girl you need to realize that he just needs you safe. Any man that would jump off a bridge to save you or climb down the side of a building must love you like crazy and would do anything to keep you safe." _Damn straight I would._

She heaved a big breath out. "I know that, but I need to be involved in the decision making. I don't run away just because someone threatens me. It is probably one reason why I get into trouble a lot but I have a job to do and nobody, not even him, is going to stop me."

"Is that what he is trying to do? Get you to quit your job?"

"No I don't think so. He has offered me a job in his office but I don't want to be stuck behind a search desk all day. It gets too boring." _Key point search desk. If I just start asking her to help with other things I can figure out what she is good at and likes to do and then have her do that._

"So what is he tryin' to do?"

"Keep me safe. Probably keep me out of trouble. I'm just afraid that he'll just keep raising the threat level without any real reason and keep 10 men on me or keep me from going anywhere, basically lock me up without my consent. I'm worried that the threat level is always going to be in the orange and red and that he will keep me from knowing who the actual people threatening me are. I'll be locked up in the dark and have no idea how I got that way." She heaved out another sigh. _I was getting the picture, keep her informed with facts about the dangers and she would accept the protection level better._

"And he will use it as an excuse to keep you locked up in the building?"

"Yeah with 24 hour protection that is expensive and ridiculous."

"It's probably going to cost him a lot of money but he would rather spend the money than lose you." _Damn straight._

"He's not worried about the money."

"He's not?"

"No he has a lot of money. He doesn't even need to work anymore." _Oh I hope she uses discretion here._

"He doesn't? Shoot, if I had a lot of money you wouldn't find my black ass here. I would be some place warm and tropical sipping on mai tai's"

"Yeah he is weird. He wants to keep opening up branches. Every branch he opens he creates more jobs for ex-military men and it helps to keep people safe and he likes making money helping people." _I want to make the world a better place. I've done a lot of horrible things in the name of my country, for freedom and to make the world a better place. Now I actually want to do good things that help protect people and make the world a better place._

"That's a nice thing to do but honestly if I had money you wouldn't find me anywhere near this chemical dump. I would be somewhere there are sunny skies and warm weather."

"I haven't thought about it." Stephanie confessed. "I just want to be where Ranger is." _Warmth and hope blossomed in my chest at this statement._

"Girl if you had his kind of money what would you do?"

"You see it. Catching skips and making the community a safer place by bringing in the bad guys."

"So honestly how much money is he worth?"

"A lot."

"Enough to retire on?"

"Enough to retire on and travel the world in style." _I felt like I could trust her more now with my secrets knowing she knew how to keep my private things to herself._

"Girl you know I would be all over that. So speakin' of traveling where is he takin' you for the honeymoon?"

"I don't know, he won't tell me."

"Not even a clue?"

"He says someplace tropical and warm, where I can wear a bikini."

"That's all you need to know."

"So Lula what do I do now?"

"Go back and talk to Batman. Tell him you won't be locked up in his Batcave, but you understand you need protection. Then work out something you can both live with."

"Thanks Lula. I don't know what I would do without you."

"Shit girl, you would be lost without me. But who always has your back and an ear to listen to? Lula does, that's who. So you have to be honest with me and answer one question." _I can't see Lula's face but her voice sounds devilish._

"I know what you're going to ask and forget it I'm not telling you about the bedroom."

"Okay so you don't have to tell me a story, just give me a phrase, a short sentence. What is he like in bed?"

"How about one word." Stephanie offered.

"Shit this better be one good word."

"He's great." _I'm just great? Not that I want her talking to Lula or anyone about our sex life but I must not be doing a decent job if great is the best word she can come up with. How about pass out terrific, wonderful, magnificent, 10 orgasms a night, amazingly unbelievably great._

"That's it? That's your word. Girl that man is better than great, he's a super hero. You got to give me more than that."

"Fine he's magic."

"Magic like Disney magic or magic like in Magic Mike?"

"Oh he's better than Magic Mike."

"Do tell ol' Lula all about it."

"Well he is amazing and just when I think it can't get any better, it does." _That's a description I like better. Appropriate but vague._

I was willing Stephanie to finish up and come home to me but I found the mindless talking and listening to her voice to be soothing while I waded through the paperwork on my desk. Every time I had an interruption I turned the speaker on my computer off but after the third time Tank asked if I had been on the speakerphone because he thought he heard a woman's voice. I denied it of course. I could tell from the look on his face he knew I was lying but accepted that I didn't want to talk about it and let it go.

"That sounds promising. Is he the full package? Does he have it where it counts, cause let me tell you girl I've seen a bulge in his cargos and it looks promising."

"Everything he promises with his cargos on he delivers when his cargos come off." _I've always trusted her judgement but with every answer I trusted her even more._

"Still he ain't nothin' compared to my Tanky."

"Your Tanky? Something you want to tell me?"

"While you two lovebirds have been gone he has been coming in the office to get the files and he and I have been talking. I told him I went crazy with the wedding only because I really wanted him and he told me he didn't mean to pick his cats over me. Just that they are cats and are defenseless. He gave them a good home and he can't kick them out in the cold. I told him about these new shots they have for allergies. They aren't totally new but I've never taken them before and he asked me if I would be willing to try so I'm going to see the doctor and we are going to go out again on Wednesday." _Oh shit I can't have her fucking up my number two again. He was a mess the last time and I don't know if I can trust Lula with my company secrets like I know I can trust Steph, she likes to gossip a little too much._

"Oh my god Lula that's great. I mean I'm really happy for you two if you can get it worked out."

"Yeah girl. It's gonna be good. Tank is a man's man. He is the full package. He still don't talk much. I mean I did most of the talkin' and he just agreed but he sat on the couch and listened to me and nodded his head. And when I said I wanted to try again he said Wednesday, seven, dinner. And I knew he wanted to try again too." _Good maybe if he doesn't say anything she'll have nothing to gossip about._

"Yeah with Tank you do have to carry the conversation."

"So is Mr. Mysterio more talkative behind closed doors?"

"If we hadn't been with his family I don't think he would have been but with his family he had to talk. His family brings out the Carlos in him."

"Carlos?"

"Yeah I couldn't keep calling him Ranger in bed. Does Tank have you call him something else?"

"He don't like to be called his real name but in the bedroom he likes me to call him Sherman."

"Sherman?"

"Yeah like a Sherman tank. You know it's not much but it is more personal than Tank and he told me no one else calls him that." _Oh shit, Sherman! I had ammo I could use to fuck with Tank._

"Let's go park behind the Cluck-n-a-Bucket"

"Behind it?" Lula asked wondering.

"Yeah, let's see how many men he has following me. Behind the Cluck-in-a-Bucket is hidden by the wall and the dumpster so they are going to have to drive past us to see where we are and if they park anywhere nearby we can see them." _I wanted to call my men and tell them it was a trap and the girls were safe behind the restaurant but I needed to see what they and she would do._

"So what was it like two weeks gone with Batman and his family?"

"His family is really nice and talkative. There are no secrets in that family."

"Makes you wonder where he came from."

"He's more relaxed around them and Julie, he brought Julie his daughter with us and I got to spend more time with her too."

A minute later I heard: "There they are, did you see them drive by?"

"Yeah girl. I don't know who they were, but there's no denying that was a black RangeMan vehicle."

My woman knew how to play my men. I was astonished and kinda proud. After listening to them I finally understood that she knew some level of security was required but because I didn't discuss it with her and set the parameters together she was pissed off. And that one of her very real concerns was that I may withhold information about how dangerous it is and just lock her in the building at any time. Lula was my angel talking her down off the ledge reminding her that I would do anything to protect her because I love her and that she shouldn't get too mad at me over it.

Now I had the problem and solution. I just had to get Stephanie to talk to me again. I want to seduce her because that takes down all her barriers but I knew I needed to address this logically and build the trust between us.

Logistically I was going to have to figure out how to get her watch off her wrist. I was going to have to switch out the battery on her watch after it has been broadcasting all day but it was worth it, letting me know what she was thinking, what the real problem is and what to do about it.

I listened to Stephanie and Lula chat for a while longer as Lula filled her in on all the gossip she missed while she was gone and what people were saying about her and Morelli.

"Yeah girl. I heard him begging you to come back but he's been telling everyone you cheated on him with Ranger and so he's moving on."

"That's fine and believable since I left town with Ranger and came back engaged. Joe has to say that to keep from looking like the ass he is. He just wants to divert the conversation from all the women he is sleeping with."

"You bet your ass. He's trying to save face."

Stephanie took her back to the bonds office. Promised to bring her and Connie all the stuff she bought for them in Hawaii and the camera with the pictures.

Throughout the day there had been very few interruptions. My men didn't know what to make of my closed door because being closed meant I was doing critical phone calls or classified paperwork and wasn't to be disturbed. But I have never kept my door closed all day and they were starting to wonder what I was doing. Once the conversation with Lula was done I put on one of my Bluetooth headphones in so I could still hear and opened my door. Immediately I got flooded with more paperwork and random questions. Many loosely worded to hear the outcome of the threat, they meant Sergio and I wondered at letting them see the short video Hector was putting together.

I listened to Stephanie visiting Grandma Mazur next and I wondered if this meant my balls had been repossessed, listening to gossip like I was a girl in high school. But since my concern was Stephanie I ignored it and went back to my paperwork only half listening in. Stephanie was busy getting all the latest gossip, who died recently and how her dates with the local residents over the last two weeks had been doing, so far they were all duds but she was excited with all the single men living in the apartment building. Most of them have cars and can still drive so she is hopeful they have it going on in the bedroom too. She did say that Helen has volunteered to drive her everywhere she wants to go except all her night viewings and Stephanie offered to help her with that if she can keep her hands to herself.

Most nights if I wasn't working I would want Stephanie here with me. If needed I would assign a man to take Grandma to her viewings and pay hazard pay just to keep Stephanie at home with me.

Stephanie headed home about 17:30, just in time for dinner, and I called Ella and told her we would be ready whenever she was and she told me 6:00. I asked her to open a bottle of wine and she assured me she would. I let Stephanie arrive and go up to seven, I didn't want to ambush her so I watched the elevator and waited till Ella took dinner up and they had time to talk.

Five minutes after Ella returned to six I headed up the stairs. I entered the apartment and tried to act cheerful and I realized after two minutes this is not a normal emotion for me. I couldn't even fake it well. Stephanie was in the bedroom so I looked in the pot on the stove and set out bowls. Ella had brought a lamb stew with potatoes and lots of vegetables. I served up dinner, poured two glasses of wine, then went into the bedroom and asked Stephanie to join me. I knew she had come home in time to have dinner with me but she seemed to be avoiding me.

Once we were seated I tried for some normal conversation.

"How was your day, Babe?"

"Fine"

We sat and ate in silence, there is so much I want to say. I don't normally talk much over meals but I feel like I need to break the ice.

"Stephanie, I am sorry for trying to mandate a protection detail without talking to you first and asking you to help plan it."

She looks at me dumbfounded not sure what to say.

We eat in silence for a little longer. I know that when the food is gone my time with her as a captive audience is up.

"Babe I was wrong to try to order you around or lock you up. Will you help me design safety protocol for you that we can both live with?"

A smile is twitching at her lips and she smiles at me.

"What brought this on?" She asks.

"I realized after you left that I approached your safety like any job. I designed a foolproof system and attempted to put it into action. I just expected you to follow my orders like any of my men or clients and at no point in time did I consider your feelings. After you left I gave a lot of thought to what you said and I had to admit you were right about a few things and that I needed to work with you on your security detail."

"Well I can say that I realized somethings today as well. I tend to live in denial about how much danger I am in and don't face it until it is forced upon me and I am usually unprepared and get kidnapped. If I am honest I have been kidnapped and threatened a lot and I've been lucky and always gotten out unharmed. You or Rangeman has saved me more times than I can count and half the time I get away only because the people kidnapping me are inexperienced and don't know what they are doing and half the time I talk my way out. If really real bad guys came after me, men with experience and talent and men who know what they are doing, I would be out of luck and without trackers and men protecting me I may not make it out alive."

"So what are you saying?"

"I'm trying to say that I realize I need some kind of protection and I realize you only want me to be safe. But I can't handle being locked up Carlos. I can't handle that and that is part of what made me flip out and run."

"Look we will come to lock down protocol later. Let's just try to work out a regular protection detail that we can both live with."

"Okay I can manage that." She offered.

After we cleared the table I got paper, pens, and brought her with a fresh glass of wine to the living room. I sat her comfortably on the couch plastered against my side and I set everything down. Then I couldn't help myself. I was so drawn to her like a moth to a flame I just needed to touch her to reassure my wounded heart that she was still mine so I started kissing her. She eagerly kissed me back and with our roaming hands things quickly got out of hand.

Next thing I know her shirt is gone and I am removing her bra. A quick orgasm was just what we needed to release all the built-up tension so I quickly removed her pants. She was still on her period and thought sex this time of the month was gross. I had to do this quickly before she started thinking about it too hard.

Kissing her all the while to keep her distracted I started stroking her sweet spot and she moaned into my mouth. Quickly without her thinking about it I removed her tampon and rolled it up in a nearby blank piece of paper. Then I settled her across my lap realizing in that moment I hadn't undone my pants. I kept kissing her while I moved her back several inches and freed myself. Then without any further preamble I slid her down my throbbing length. _Oh Dios._ I needed her.

I stroked her clit trying to make sure she was as up to speed as I was but this was going to be fast. I lifted her up off me and slid her back down achingly slowly. After several strokes she took up the rhythm and I relaxed my grip and let her ride me. I was almost to the point of no return when I grabbed her hips and started to speed her up going faster and faster till she cried out her release. Then I let go inside her, happy to not need a condom. I was going to get her an appointment tomorrow with her gynecologist and she was going to start on some sort of birth control this week.

I started kissing her again and couldn't help myself. I flipped us, laying her down on the couch and loomed over her. I was going to take her again and this time it was going to be nice and slow. I settled between her thighs and began rocking into her again.

When we were through I carried her to the shower because we were a sweating cum covered mess. Once we were washed relatively clean in the shower, I couldn't help myself and I took her again. There was an aching driving need I had to be one with her, to be complete the only way I knew how, by coupling with her as much as physically possible.

When we were finished again and clean all over, I wrapped a towel around myself and dried her, gently rubbing every inch with my super soft towel and then I enveloped her in my robe. I grabbed a pair of cargo shorts and a tank top, not an outfit I would have ever worn before this past trip and I reminded myself to ask Ella to buy me another robe. Not something I have ever used before but now I saw the advantages of staying practically naked and how fast I could get us out of robes compared to full clothes, and how really we didn't even need to take them off just untie, open and fuck like bunnies. Very efficient.

I led her back into the living room, now very relaxed and with a permanent smile on her face.

"So I thought we would start with your latest catastrophes and determine what would have prevented them. You have been threatened, kidnapped and attempted to be killed twenty nine times by my count."

To be continued…

I'm glad you wanted me to continue the story as I am enjoying writing it. Thank you baileygirl12, daxandpat, katannc, Vulcan Rider, annalynn88, Buddy'sBabe, trhodes9, shellbell78, the newest daughter, joycon98, Kriannalfar, GarbonzoBean for reading and reviewing. Thank you to all mt guest reviewers. I love them all! I will keep updating every Friday so you can look forward to that.

Thank you to my Beta Sassysaint.


	3. Chapter 3 Protection Detail

Saving Stephanie

Chapter 3 Protection Detail

A/N: Serious warning for all books up to 22 or a fun review of all the shit Stephanie has gotten into. LOL

Tuesday June 1 After dinner

 _I led her back into the living room, now very relaxed and with a permanent smile on her face._

" _So I thought we would start with your latest catastrophes and determine what would have prevented them. You have been threatened, kidnapped and attempted to be killed twenty nine times by my count._

"Twenty nine? Are you sure?"

I just stared back at her.

"Well let's go through them and see. When we met, you were chasing Morelli and Benito Ramirez was stalking you. He was threatening to kidnap you, rape you, mutilate you and if you pressed charges make you disappear. What kind of action could you have taken to protect yourself?" I asked her.

"Um at the time he really scared me and I started taking my gun to the range with Officer Gazarra every day at 4:30 and shooting till I got more comfortable with it. I was carrying it loaded all the time which saved me when Jimmy Alpha broke in."

"Jimmy Alpha, can't say that anyone saw that coming but he showed up in your apartment to kill you, or was going to have Benito rape you and do you and then kill Benito with your gun. What kind of action could you have taken to protect yourself?"

"Jimmy was a wild card. I never knew he was a threat till he showed up in my apartment and to this day I can't say why he thought he needed to get rid of me except that he thought I knew too much about his business and he needed to get rid of Ramirez too and thought my gun was the way to do it. Two birds with one stone."

"And what saved you?"

"My loaded gun and all the hours I had spent shooting it. That is the only way I could have ever hit him shooting through my purse. I just reacted and it was deadly." She looked a little upset.

"But it saved your life." I encouraged.

"I guess."

"The way your life is today you are safer because you are in this apartment which is pretty secure and someone won't just be able to take a pane of glass out of the window and climb in here. But the Ramirez known threat you had to face and you were grossly out matched. How would you rate him as a threat, and with the resources you have available today how would you protect yourself if he were after you again?" I asked.

"Ramirez would be a level orange I think. He was definitely a serious threat and he could easily take out one body guard and if he had a gun or a knife two men wouldn't be that hard for him to dispatch so I think two men on me with a back up team if he was an active threat trying to get me today." She answered.

"I think that would be wise. Next you were trying to catch Kenny Mancuso but he was basically stalking you, sending you dead body parts and threatening you. He stabbed your grandmother and in the end he was going to kill you and your grandmother. What saved you?"

"Well my grandmother had her .45 and when they tried to close the body tray she was on, she used the gun so they couldn't wheel her all the way in and when they pulled her out to see what was going on she fired the gun igniting all the stolen illegal hardware they had and burning down the funeral home."

"So again a loaded gun saved you, albeit in someone else's hands and as I recall you were so tenacious you chased Kenny down and tackled him and refused to let go." I encouraged.

"Yeah they arrested him and I got the bond money." She smiled at the memory.

"What precautions today would you take if he was still a threat?"

"Well he was only a threat because I was determined to catch him. If I had backed off he probably would have left me alone." She said.

"So with your resources today how would you rate the threat and what would be your recommendations for dealing with it?"

"I would rate Kenny a yellow. Two men with me would have protected me and saved my grandmother from having to fire her gun and would have stopped all the ammo and the funeral home from burning down."

"I think that is good."

"Next you have the Reverend and all the irrational church goers who were killing off the drug dealers and wanted to stop Moe from turning state's witness against them and had decided to kill him and you in the process. How would you have rated that threat and given your resources today how would you deal with it?"

"Well I didn't know the extent of the threat till we got to Moe and he told us the whole story. It was a much higher threat than I realized at the time. Again if I had stopped pursuing Moe they may have stopped harassing me and left me alone, but I can't say that for sure because Lula and I had found quite a few of their dead drug dealers and I was a suspect for the murder of one of them and I was just trying to get to the bottom of what was going on and clear my name." She laid it all out.

"So today knowing what you know now, how would you rate the threat and what resources would you use to protect yourself?"

"Well I would rate it an orange to a red. I think we should have had a whole bunch of men when we went to get Moe. Like eight or ten men plus you and Tank. They had a lot of firepower that I hadn't counted on."

"Having all those men wouldn't have saved your truck from the rocket but they could have protected you and Moe better and he might not have gotten shot. He still might have, in a fire fight you can't ever know even if you have more men that you wouldn't have gotten shot. Next we have Lou, the unreasonable man that had the printing machine and was printing forged money. What ever possessed you to go to his house and break in?" I quired.

"Curiosity. They were all acting weird and I was looking for Eddie Kuntz because he had suddenly disappeared and I was still trying to catch Maxine and I was looking for clues."

"Lou was going to kill you. What saved you? What threat level would you rate it and with your resources today how would you protect against it?"

"Lula saved me, she was supposed to be my look out. She didn't warn me they got home because she got interference on her cell but her jumping up to see in the window distracted him and she shot at him and called the cops. Morelli is actually who came in and got me out of the house." She resolved.

"So what threat level would you give it and how would you protect against it?"

"Well that was like a red, imminent and immediate danger. He was going to kill me right then. There was no forewarning to put any precautions into place. If I had more men with me when I broke in or if I'd had my gun on me both things would have helped."

"What about a panic button?"

"Yeah a panic button or my watch would have also helped."

"Again you were so tenacious that even after all that you took off with Lula and caught Barnhardt with Maxine and you got your man. During that whole fiasco you had another stalker that dumped gasoline on your car and firebombed your apartment and then tried to shoot you." I continued.

"Oh yeah Sugar."

"Yeah Sugar, How would you rate that threat and how would you protect against it?"

"At the end Sugar would have been a red, you were there, he was crazy. The night we deliberately sought to draw him out having more back up would have been helpful but he was waiting for me in the bathroom and took me out a backdoor, so really my watch or a panic button would have been the only thing to help in that situation." She clarified.

"Next was Benito Ramirez stalking you again. What saved you? How would you rate that threat today what safety measures would you put in place?"

"Allen Shempsky shot him on my fire escape. I would have to rate him at a red because he was definitely a threat with the intent to do serious bodily harm and possibly kill me. He was drawing it out trying to terrorize me first. Again for protection I think two teams and maybe a panic button would have been the only defense."

"Allen Shempsky showed up to kill you. He had already killed five people including your Uncle Fred and tried to kill you with a bomb on the turbo. What saved you? How would you rate that threat, what protection measures would you put in place?" I probed.

"He was an unknown threat and while he showed up to kill me there was no forewarning to put safety precautions in place. I didn't know he was the one that put the bomb on your 911 or that there was even a threat on my life so really the only thing that could have been in place would have been a panic button. A two-man team probably would have been enough of a deterrent but we didn't know enough in advance to put one in place. Believe it or not Ramirez saved me, he was on my fire escape ready to break in and he saw Allen with the gun. Ramirez screamed, Allen shot him, I ran out my front door borrowed Mrs. Keene's gun and when I got back to my apartment Allen was gone." She answered.

"Stolle's goons, Habid and Mitchell had been following you around trying to capture me. They tried kidnapping Bob but he did his thing in their car and they let him go. Mr. Stolle threatened to hurt you to get to me. Finally they were ordered to grab and hold you to send a message to me. What saved you? What was the threat level? What kind of safety precautions could have been taken?"

"Well when they took me it was a surprise. I wasn't expecting it."

"How could you not expect it? They had been threatening you all along if you didn't help them get me."

"Well honestly they were kinda goofy and not all that threatening until they told me they were going to stun me and cut my finger off to send to you." She was matter of fact but I was shocked.

I kept my blank face in place. She had never told me about cutting off her finger. "And how did you get away?"

"Well I told them they needed gauze and band aides and pain meds for me before they cut off my finger or I could bleed to death. So they locked me in the bathroom and my boots saved me as I kicked through the wall and crawled into another room where I lowered myself out the window."

"I tried to put you in a safe house to protect you but you refused. What was the threat level? What sort of protection would you put in place?"

"Well they weren't really out to kill me, they wanted you. So I would put the threat level at yellow and a two man team would have been enough of a deterrent for those two."

"Homer Ramos was waiting for you in your apartment with a gun. What saved you, what was the threat level what kind of safety precautions could have been taken?" I inquired.

"Homer wasn't really after me, he was searching for the money he stole and figured I had to have it. I had a gun out when I entered the apartment but it was an automatic and I accidentally pushed the button and dropped the clip out. I threw the gun at him and ran, he fired and shot me in the arm. You are what saved me. I mean, when I saw you I started talking him to death trying to delay things then you grabbed him from behind and zapped him. He was an unknown threat so you can't rate it. There was no reason to believe he would come after me. A panic button would have been good but I don't think if you hadn't already come in that anyone would have gotten there in time." She answered.

I took her on my lap and kissed her, sweetly deeply thoroughly. I had become so worried about her over that time period and she didn't know it but I had slipped into her apartment that night to kidnap her and take her to a safe house. Before I got the door open I heard gunfire and once inside I heard them talking. I couldn't believe Homer Ramos, the man I supposedly killed, the man I had been searching for, was right there in her apartment.

I held her in my arms for a minute taking comfort from her warm soft body next to mine. It was the first time she had ever been in danger because of me but it wouldn't be the last. I couldn't live the rest of my life with her seriously injured or killed because of threats that I brought into her life. I set her back on the couch next to me and took up the papers I was making notes on.

"Your next threat was Sophia, she'd already shot me in the arm, she'd locked up Dougie and Mooner, but she showed up wanting you to cut out De Chooch's heart and we both know she wouldn't leave you alive. How did you get away? What was the threat level? What precautions could be taken?" I probed.

"I got away by talking her into going down to the basement for heavy duty tools to cut through his ribs. I knocked her backwards and she fell going down the stairs and broke her hip or something. When I got back up the stairs DeChooch was gone. This was an unknown threat but it was immediate and deadly so I would have to say about a red. She was psycho and I was pretty sure she was going to kill me too. A panic button would have been a good thing. Any kind of extra manpower would have been helpful in dealing with Sophia and bringing in DeChooch." She resolved.

"Next you dealt with Abruzzi who not only waged a campaign of fear he was ready to torture you to death. How did you get away? What was the threat level and what safety precautions should have been taken?"

"He was an orange, a known threat but I wasn't sure he wanted me dead till he kidnapped Valerie and me. Valerie rescued me, she was walking down the road from where they had dumped her, saw the van, looked in the window and saw them torturing me. Drove the van through the front window and got me out. A two man team would probably been enough of a deterrent but a four man team in case they took the first team out would have been better. A panic button would have been helpful too once they got me in the van."

"Then we were searching for Singh and you started getting flowers and people started getting killed in front of you and you were receiving threatening emails. You were knocked out with a dart gun and actively being stalked. What was the threat level? What precautions would you take? How did you survive?" I examined.

"Well you forgot Fisher Cat, he found me at the hospital but Clyde killed him before he could kill me."

"I didn't forget, I was just skipping to the main event."

"Clyde Cone was unhinged. He organized games where people killed each other. How sick is that and the reward to the winner is to kill another person? How fucked up in the head do you have to be to think of that? I survived because even though I was beyond scared I didn't totally lose my head and Albert saw where he had hidden weapons and he told me where to find the gun. I broke the window and escaped the office and he shot me with a paint gun. He was still playing with me; he wanted to drag it out as long as possible. Threat level should have been red and confining me to the building wouldn't have stopped him, only delayed him, he was pretty fixated on me and we didn't even know who the threat was. Minimum four man teams I think and a panic button. But your men could have all ended up getting shot in the head because that was his MO, shooting people from afar. You saved me, and I will forever be grateful for that." She kissed me.

"Babe you saved yourself, you got the gun, you used all your senses in that dark room. He was dead when we got there." I explained. "I was so proud of you. You stayed alert and aware and used your hearing to track him in the dark room. That was the second time I had come looking for you and heard gunfire and was worried for your wellbeing."

"Yeah but I would have stayed under that desk holding the pepper spray forever." She resolved.

"Eventually when there was no sound and no movement you would have come out. But you were smart and you saved yourself. The next threat was Junkman and the Slayers. Rate the threat level and what kind of protection would have worked."

"Red that was definitely a red. Honestly the death thing wasn't as scary as the gang rape and being beaten up. Four man team. I don't know if you and Tank would have been needed but a four man team with two men inside would have done it. Still I don't know that a four man team with handguns could have gotten me out once I was kidnapped. Sally had an Uzi and nothing less would have stood up to that mob of bloodthirsty gang members."

"Don't worry about my men. They are trained to face angry hordes of men with guns. If they had gotten there they would have got you out. Next Constania Stiva kidnapped you and was going to kill you. Rate the threat level and what kind of protection detail?"

"Well I didn't know it was Con I thought it was Spiro."

"You had been being stalked, your car had been blown up, Cluck-n-a-Bucket got burned down and Morelli's garage had been blown up. I gave you a job thinking it would keep you safer and I could monitor your activity but you still disappeared."

"Yes you saved me again, you found me. I thought being closed in a coffin was bad. I still don't know how he got me up in that cupboard but it was very painful. I guess I would rate it as an orange and say a two man team would have worked." She retorted.

"That was the second time you were caught snooping in someone else's house and they were going to kill you for what you found. You need to always be armed and always take back up into those kinds of situations. Now we have to talk about Edward Scrog." I continued.

"What about him?"

"Scrog was a threat because of me. We put you in play with every precaution and you still got taken. He found the panic button and removed it. I should have had a tracker on you that was not easily identifiable like a necklace or earrings. It was expected that he was running away with Julie and had left the area but when I came to check on you that night I just knew he was there and quickly found his car. Locking you up would have possibly made him give up but he may have moved on with Julie, eventually getting tired of her and killing her. I'm rating the threat level as a red and I should have had a team on you even after you got away in case he tried to come back for you again." I detailed.

"Well he was another one that was not right in the head. He thought he was going to be you if he killed you and kidnapped us. He married as you and then killed his wife. It wasn't your fault he went off the rails." She countered.

"No but I should have done a better job of protecting you. It would have hurt me deeply if something had happened to you or Julie because of me. Now we have Roland Petiak and the flame thrower."

"He was crazy for the forty million dollars that Dickie stole." She interjected.

"You decided that you knew better than me and ditched all your trackers and your car to go snooping. You went without any back up and got caught in a warehouse fire that almost killed you." I was getting mad again. Her deliberately putting herself in danger pisses me off.

"But I discovered the charred body."

"But if people knew where you were and if you had a team on you they could have helped you get out safely." She was a magnet for danger and trouble and I needed her to see that while her instincts for finding clues and the bad guys might be spot on her survival instincts needed a little work. "After that I gave you a tracker but you left it behind with your laundry at your mother's house. When you got kidnapped what saved you? What was the threat level and what would a protection detail look like?"

"Threat level orange. He hadn't threatened to kill me yet he just wanted the key. With his muscle two teams of men to keep me safe would have been enough."

"He hadn't threatened your life but he was leaving a string of torched bodies behind that should have made you afraid for your own safety."

"I was afraid, I took your stupid pen."

"But you didn't keep it on you."

"I didn't realize I didn't have it. I kept waiting for a rescue when I finally realized I didn't have it I started plotting my chance to escape. I knew when they rammed the gate that would be my chance. I ran for the control booth and Petiak fried himself trying to get through the metal door. I found the phone in the booth and called for help." She retorted.

"Then you have the kidnapper that was cutting off toes and blackmailing you for the key to the nine million dollars that Dom went to jail for stealing. You went and retrieved a van set up from the police and were going to meet with him and give it to him with no back up." I put forth the problem.

"Morelli had me wired and there was supposed to be someone discreetly following."

"The guy could have killed you to get the fake money."

"He was supposed to trade the money for Loretta."

"Still it was a sloppy operation at best. You won't be putting yourself in danger like that in the future. Next you had the guys that had killed the chef and were after Lula. For some reason you let her come and stay with you."

"Her door was shot up. She needed somewhere to stay."

"Again when killers are after your friends you don't invite them to sleep on your couch."

"You do. When killers are after me you invite me to sleep over." She retorted.

"But now and forevermore you are going to sleep in a secured building and no killers are going to come after you in the middle of the night. Next you put yourself at risk to rescue Vinnie and because he was hiding out at your place you and Mooner got kidnapped by Gregor Bluttovich and his goons. What was the threat level and what should the protection detail been?" I asked.

"I didn't know anyone was still after Vinnie. I mean we had paid all the money that was due. He had run off with Joyce Barnhardt. Then we found him again and Mooner and he were planning some hobbitfest together. Then these guys showed up out of the blue."

"Unexpectedly you got kidnapped again."

"Yeah and you were part of the rescue team led by Vinnie and the hobbits. Technically there was no threat to me ever during that whole thing so no protection detail."

"No but a panic button and tracker would have been helpful. You were rescued and okay but two months later your life was in danger again. I still can't believe what happened, unbelievably you had three people trying to kill you all at once. What was the threat level? What should the protection detail been?"

"I don't know. Regina was unstable and random. She kept trying to run me over so even a panic button wouldn't have been helpful. Nick Alpha was threatening me but I wasn't sure how serious he was about it. Dave I had no clue about. He seemed so nice and kept showing up in my kitchen to cook."

"Threat level?"

"Yellow"

"Precautions?"

"Two man team for Regina and Alpha and a panic button for Dave."

"Next you found a picture in your bag coming back from Hawaii. A collection of characters showed up to get it back. Razzle Dazzle was the most dangerous but the two in the Lincoln…"

"Sly Slasher and Lance Lancer."

"They could have become dangerous. They were always carrying. The hair dresser…"

"Brenda"

"Had her own little gun but I don't think she was dangerous. Threat level? Precautions?" I quired.

"Yellow, two man team." She solved.

"You rate a man following you and breaking into your apartment with a huge knife that was threatening to cut you up in little pieces and eat you a yellow?" I was doubtful.

"Ok maybe an orange. It's just that he really wasn't trying to kill me, he wanted the picture."

"Fine"

"What about Chester and the warehouse? You went headfirst into that situation. He was no longer after you and the most dangerous thing there was Lula and her rocket launcher."

"That is what blew up the building. But you got there and got me out."

"Yeah when the guys called me I knew it wasn't going to end well." I answered.

"Then we had Orin. Rate the threat and the protection detail."

"Looking back I would say it was a red. Four man team. Orin was smart and skilled. He probably could have gotten through a four man outside team so two would have had to actually be in my apartment."

"Orin was my fault and a known threat. You personally hadn't been threatened I thought he was more likely to come after me but looking back I should have taken your security more seriously. Next you were taken and dumped in a grave. Rate the Sunshine threat and protection detail." I probed.

"Orange but we didn't know he was a threat. An armed two-man team probably would have done it. I can't say for sure. Morelli was carrying and he got shot. It wouldn't have mattered how many men were there, he got the drop on us and they had their guns out first." She explained.

"So maybe two men inside two men outside?"

"I guess but the panic watch saved the day."

"Yes we could hear what was happening and track you at the same time."

"Speaking of panic watches I accidentally set mine off today but no one contacted me or anything."

"Well they could probably hear that you were okay." I tried to end this question.

"Or they contacted the team that was following me and found out I was fine."

I just gave her my blank face.

"Come on Ranger, I know you had at least one team following me. I saw them at Cluck-in-a-Bucket." She pushed.

"Are you going to get mad at me if I say yes?" I asked.

"No. I know you are only trying to protect me."

"Then yes I had a team of men following you and Lula. They reported you got your skip and then ate lunch and then went to your old apartment building where they assumed you were visiting your grandma but didn't follow you up to check."

"It's nice to know they weren't outside her door eavesdropping."

"They are only there to keep you safe. Speaking of keeping you safe next we have Uncle Sunny. Threat level, protection detail?"

"Well that is a hard one because like Mancuso, if I had stopped trying to bring him in he would have left me alone. So a two-man team to help get him would have stopped some of the craziness and protected me." She resolved.

"Like you climbing through a third story window, falling down the stairs and breaking your finger and then breaking your nose and shooting off a guy's ear? These were two skips that once you found them, could have been more easily apprehended with back up." I laid it out.

"I had Lula for back-up."

"Babe, Lula is a friend and more fun to do a stake out with than my guys but when you needed her help to get Uncle Sunny out where was she?" I pushed.

"Chasing Kevin."

"Whose Kevin?"

"The giraffe that was loose around 16th street."

"Yeah I remember the giraffe. Babe I'm not going to ask you to stop doing your job but I'm going to help you be safe. You still have to find the skips, track them down, make the phone calls, do the research and follow their tweets but my guys will be the muscle that backs you up when you knock on their door."

"But I can't afford to pay them."

"First of all they are just doing their job and I pay them. But with higher bonds like Anton and Sunny you could afford to pay them for helping you."

"I guess, it's just how do I pay everyone and still have money for rent?"

"Babe you have plenty of money, and if you don't I have plenty of money. Don't worry about your grandma's rent it will be taken care of." I encouraged.

"Carlos I appreciate it all but I want to pay my own way. I always have and I always will take care of my own bills." She insisted.

"Fine Babe, whatever you want to do will work for me but understand this, I have money, I have a successful business, and I have you. I have everything I could want in the world, but I can make more money, I can grow a successful business but I can't make a new you. Protecting you is the most important thing in my life and I am going to do everything I can to do it." I took her onto my lap again and kissed her. I didn't feel like I was being as clear or eloquent as I wanted to be but I needed her to understand how important she was in my life.

"Okay. You can send men to protect me but you can't take over my life and if it comes to locking me up you have to promise to discuss it with me first."

"I promise to discuss it with you. I won't make changes to your protection detail without discussing it with you first. Now I want to make you aware of two things. First is that for some reason you attract a higher than normal level of crazy people to you. I know a lot of people around you blame the attacks on you because of your job but only seven of the attacks on you were directly related to the skips you were chasing after. While fourteen of the attacks on you were from people that were crazy." I explained.

"Yeah I seem to attract people that are crazy."

"You attract people that are mentally imbalanced and delusional. Most of them were previous killers who thought killing someone was the way to get rid of a person that was causing them trouble. People like Benito Ramirez, Sugar, Sophia, Abruzzi, Cone, Stiva, Scrog, Gregor Blutoovich, David Brewer and Orin. Out of thirty attacks and attempted kidnappings you were saved ten times by someone having a gun and shooting it, even if they didn't hit the person who was directly after you. That is thirty percent of the time you were saved because someone had a gun. I want to ask you now to get your concealed carry permit and always carry your gun loaded and to come to the gun range at least once a week and practice shooting it. Do you think you can handle that?" I detailed.

"You know I don't like guns."

"Yes I know you don't like them but they have saved your life more times than anyone could have expected and it may be that my men get shot and the only thing you have to protect yourself is your gun so I would like you to carry it."

"I know you are right. It is just not something I am comfortable with."

"I will meet you down in the gun range and practice with you but I want you to practice every week and I want you to get your conceal carry permit and carry it with you all the time." I encouraged.

"I know you only want me to be safe and I carried it today loaded. So fine." She heaved out a big sigh. "Just for you I will carry my gun and it will be loaded."

"Thank you. Babe there are different levels of threat and I want to talk about them now."

"Like what?"

"Well in the past few years you have had fifteen known threats like Ramirez, Kenny Mancuso, Sugar, Junkman and the Slayers and Uncle Sunny and his men. On average you rated the threats orange and red and agreed that two to four man teams would have been a deterrent." I brought my threat level rating chart out again. "Can you accept that as these men continued to threaten you the level would have escalated?" I questioned.

"Yes" She said hesitantly.

"Babe, I'm not just going to wake up one day and lock you in the building for no reason. But if the threat escalates high enough I will assign your bodyguards to stay in the building with you and watch movies and play games. If possible I will let you invite Lula or Mary Lou to come hang out in one of the conference rooms. I would prefer if no one knew where we lived for the time being. You can invite anyone to come to the first three floors. Lula is welcome to come use the gun range or gym anytime." I detailed.

"I understand why I can't tell the whole world but why can't I tell my closest friends and family where we live?" She wondered.

"Because you were threatened or attacked fourteen times in your apartment, including getting it fire bombed more than once. This building isn't easy access but it's not impenetrable and there is heavy duty ordinance that can shoot over 100 feet in the air, reach this apartment and blow it up with anyone in it. If I was after you and determined to kill you there are ways to do it but kidnapping Lula or Mary Lou and torturing them for information is not out of the realm of possibilities for what some would be willing to do. If they don't know anything they can't tell a killer any information and it could save their lives too." I explained.

"Oh I never thought of that."

"Babe I break into secure compounds and take out bad guys; I have to think like that. Now you've had eleven unknown threats like Jimmy Alpha, Homer Ramos, Dave and Sunshine. Where you didn't know there was a threat but a two man team and a panic button would have protected you. Will you agree with me now to take a two man team and your watch with you everywhere you go?"

She heaved a big sigh.

"I know you have plenty of money and can afford to pay for the protection detail without blinking an eye and I accept that there have been some real threats out there these past couple of years, but I want to tell you no that I don't want a two man team with me everywhere I go."

"Is there a reason why?"

"It just feels wrong and intrusive and expensive and unnecessary."

"Stephanie," I handed her the list of threats I had written as we talked. "You have been threatened, kidnapped or attempted to be killed thirty times in the past few years. That is one attempt every two or three months since I have known you. Most of those you got away because of luck, fast talking and divine intervention. That is too high a number and now that we're together it is only going to get worse. The people after you now are going to be trained mercenaries and killers, like Orin, Vladco or The Saint."

"Who is The Saint?

"He is the guy that hired all the killers and gang members in California and shot the gun at you out the window in Hawaii."

"Oh I didn't know his name." She countered.

"Babe, I hate that I put you in danger but men like Vladco and Santiago "The Saint" Martinez are going to be after you now." I explained.

"What does that mean?"

"Babe these are men that are trained like me. Experienced killers, who have no emotion and no respect for life. All they care about is the money they are being paid and doing the job they were paid to do and if that job is you they will stop at nothing to kidnap or kill you."

"So what do I do?" She questioned.

"Realize that your two-man team is not going to be enough all the time and don't fight me when I add extra protection." I tried.

"I'll try, especially if you discuss the threat with me and what to do about it."

"If I was after you, trying to kidnap or kill you what kind of safety precautions would protect you?" I started.

"Well which is it are you trying to kidnap or kill me?" She asked.

"Let's talk both but start with kidnap first."

"I think a four-man team would be enough."

"Negative. I could get through a four-man team easily, especially if I didn't care about killing them. I would take you in a number of places but let's say the bonds office because you go there every morning. I would wait till you got inside then I would take the team outside and climb into your vehicle to wait. Then I would kill the two men as they climbed into the front seat and take you away to a waiting car."

"Wow you make it sound easy."

"It is easy as long as they don't mind killing your security personnel."

"So then what would you devise?"

"First of all the two men inside wouldn't come outside until they got the all clear. Letting them know the second team is intact and the vehicle is still safe. But you would need a minimum of a third team at the back door, because I could easily come in the back door, kill everyone and take you." I explained.

"So a six man team?" She was astonished.

"Minimum every time you left the building but if a known threat as deadly as myself is in play we go to Red Alert and you stay in the building."

"Really?"

"Really. I know the security parameters of this building and I built it so I couldn't beat it, but I know how to get to the roof by only disabling one camera, then if I was dressed in a RangeMan uniform I could move about the building freely with a backpack of bombs. I plant the bombs and either kill you in the explosion or plant the bombs so they would have to evacuate the building and take you when the building gets evacuated." I told her.

"Wow you have really thought about this."

"It's my job and my nature to infiltrate and find the weaknesses in any system. I even had to work out how to kidnap the president on two different occasions when he was traveling over seas and they weren't sure if he was safe. I pointed out the weaknesses in his security details and they changed some of their safety protocols and plans." I told her my history.

"So if you wanted to kill me I wouldn't survive?" She questioned.

"I have never failed to dispatch a target I have been sent after. The problem is like what Vladco faced. A specific target and killing them in a specific way so that it doesn't look like an assassination but like natural causes or in his case a group killing with radioactive materials in the ventilation system."

"So how would you kill me?" She wondered.

"With no restrictions? Sniper rifle outside the bonds office."

"Really?"

"It is the weakest location and the one you go to everyday. Personally I would like to put a four-man team on you every morning till you are away from that place. It is also why there are twice as many cameras outside that strip mall front and rear as Vinnie needs."

"How would you kill me and make it look natural?" She quired.

"Nobody trying to kill you is going to make it natural, they will be trying to send a message to me and they will want to make it as painful and drawn out as possible, like Sergio's plan." I explained.

"That sounds horrible."

"But it's not unrealistic or unknown. This isn't like some random crazy person picks you. I have known enemies who, once our engagement gets out, are going to look at you as a way to get to me. Personally I would like to start you out with a six-man team but I know that is a lot. Would you consider a four-man team for a month or two till things die down?" I hoped.

"I'll think about it. It sounds like a good idea but how will I catch any skips with a caravan following me around?"

"Not a caravan – one extra SUV." I simplified it.

"How about we try it for a week and if it's too much we'll get rid of it." She said defeatedly.

"Deal." I was excited and I immediately texted Tank. He texted back that I gave a third of his men the week off and was adding two security details. I texted him to fuck off. That I finally got her to agree and if needed he should call in contract workers.

"Babe I have one more thing to discuss with you."

"What?" She asked suspiciously.

"You know I do work for the government and can get called into the wind at any time?" I started.

"Yeah."

"Well I have one year left on my contract. When I get called I usually have less than twenty four hours before I have to leave, sometimes less than an hour. Often it is a very high risk mission and they are looking for volunteers. Those missions usually come with an extra bonus for the extra risk. I don't need the money anymore so those high-risk missions are now out of the question." I explained.

"Good Carlos. It would really hurt for you to get taken away from me now that I have you."

"I agree. If I could cancel my contract now I would, but I have one year or the combination of three missions and/or seven months in the field. Meaning if they called me up for a mission that took more than six months it would be my last mission. If they call me up for three short missions and I still have nine months on my contract I am done." I detailed.

"So if you had several short weekend or two week long missions that would be it for you?" She hoped.

"Yes but they know my skill set. Now days I am mostly used for infiltration and information gathering and really hard targets that they have to get someone close to get rid of them. Occasionally for search and rescue that involves infiltration. With my coloring and hair I can pass as a native of some kind in half the world and I speak at least part of ten different languages. That may seem like a lot but there are hundreds of languages in the world so it is really a drop in the bucket. Those things will let me pass anywhere in Central or South America and the Middle East quite easily."

"So when will they call you up next?"

"It's always a crap shoot but I finished three missions for this past year so they won't call me again until July."

"What do I do while you're gone?" She questioned.

"What do you normally do while I'm gone?" I responded.

"Eat extra donuts and try to pretend you are across town just really busy."

"Really?" I was surprised.

"No, I know you are gone. I try to be more careful because I know you are not around to save me and I'm not a religious person but when I go to bed at night I might say a few words for God to watch over you and bring you back home safely."

"Thanks." I was humbled that she thought of me even when she thought we would never be together.

"What should I do?"

"Go on with your life as normal and not worry about me. I'll be alright, I've been doing this for years. One more year will go quickly for me." I explained and hoped.

"Besides this year you are going to be busy getting married."

"Of course."

"OMG what if they call you up and you miss the wedding?" She was worried.

"We'll reschedule. It's not a big deal."

"But what if they call you up and you are gone for the next seven months?"

"Then I will be back next spring and we will get married then."

"But what if you miss this wedding and we reschedule and they call you up again." She was getting upset.

"Then we will get married next July. I will be out June thirtieth next year. Just keep planning the wedding and know that at some point we will get married." I encouraged her to remain calm.

To be continued…

Thank you for reading and all your reviews. They make me smile and laugh and encourage me in my writing.

Thank you to my Beta Sassysaint.


	4. Chapter 4 Working It Out

Saving Stephanie

Chapter 4 Working It Out

A/N: The next several chapters are going to be choppy as we move through time. The goal is to get to the wedding which is at the end of September. We are just going to hit some highlights that are important for what is going on for story and character development.

Monday June 21

3 weeks later

"Push"

"I'm pushing."

"We only added five pounds you should be able to push this easily." I told her.

With a loud clunking noise, the bench press bar came back down to the weight bench.

"Ranger, I'm not trying to bulk up I just want to get a little bit stronger." Stephanie sat up and tried to stare me down and I gave her my blank face.

In the two weeks we have been together I know that she calls me Ranger when she is getting frustrated or upset with me.

"Five pounds isn't going to bulk you up."

"I could barely bench press the weight I was at last week. I'm not ready to go up five pounds today." She huffed.

"Fine" I took the extra weight off.

"Ranger this is not working. I can't keep taking you away from your business to babysit me in the gym and I can work out by myself now that you have shown me the machines and weight room." She seemed exasperated.

"Babe who is going to spot you if you are in the gym by yourself?"

"I'm not going to be doing enough weight that I can't work out in the gym by myself." Stephanie gave me a big eyeroll.

"Fine I will see you here at 8:30 tomorrow to do self-defense training."

"No I think you need to assign someone else to give me self-defense training. I can't seem to hit you and you aren't happy with my performance so far."

"You just need to try a little harder." I encouraged.

"Ranger this is all new to me and you can't expect me to start one day and be as good as you the next." She complained.

"Nobody expects you to be as good as me."

"Good because it is not happening. I told you I would start doing some training in the gym and you signed me up for five days a week. I need to start slow and work my way up."

"Fine four hours a week in the gym."

"Two or three. I will run two or three days a week and then I will work out with weights two days a week."

"Then you can do self-defense training two days a week."

"Instead of weight training?"

"On your off days."

"No you are missing the point. I'm starting from zero. I'm not jumping to 5 days a week in the gym. It is too much. I will go three days a week. No more." She insisted.

"Bobby has taken classes on physical fitness. I will ask him to meet with you tomorrow in the gym and set you up with a physical fitness regimen." I offered.

"Fine"

It was only one word but it was agreement from her. After she took her shower we had breakfast together and she didn't say a word the entire meal. Not unusual for me but very quiet for her.

"Who are you after today?" I asked finally breaking the silence.

"I still have Martie Stalles and I will see what else Connie has for me. We sat outside his house all day yesterday till 8 pm. I don't think he is coming back so I've got to do some more searches on him and figure out where he went."

…

Once in my office I sat at my big wooden desk checking my emails and was pleased to find a follow up report on Camilia. I had hired a family attorney by the name of Diego Martinez to check on her and set up a doctor appointment for her. The report stated that she had not gone through puberty yet but an MRI showed that her fallopian tubes were gone, cut and burned so she couldn't get pregnant. She still had her uterus and everything else in her abdomen was intact leading the doctor to believe that was the only surgery performed. There are possible surgeries that can help her once she has matured into adulthood but there was nothing that could be done for her right now.

I answered with my own e-mail instructing Diego to set up a family trust that he would monitor. It would provide for her to have whatever surgeries would be needed for her or pay for adoptions if surgery failed. I set it up so that the family would receive a monthly check as long as all the children old enough were in school. It also provided for college for her and her siblings.

I had hired Senorita Danings, to take over all of the South Colombian fields. She had been the assistant to the man who stole my money and went to France. Half were being replanted as coffee fields and half were being given to the farm workers to plant for personal gardens for their families. I made sure Camilia's father got hired to replant the fields. There was not going to be as much work till the plants grew back but they had been given enough money they should do well until then.

I hired Nicolas Lopez to take over managing all the fields in Colombia with the same orders. Half to be replanted with coffee and half to be divided amongst the workers for personal farms. I set the company up to be a non-profit organization and diverted millions of dollars to buy new farm equipment and build warehouses. The coffee only had to make enough money to pay the workers' paychecks other than that I didn't worry about making a profit.

I had an email from Asker Yavuz who was a lawyer from Kartanmer, the village Mukhtar was from. He wrote that Mukhtar's body had been received and a proper Muslim burial was performed and he was laid to rest by his remaining family. As it turned out Mukhtar's wife and two of his children were killed in the raid on his village. His house and fields had been burned to the ground. His last remaining daughter was impregnated by the bastards that raped her and due to complications from the pregnancy and the lack of advanced medical care in their remote village died as well. The one thing I could do for him was return his body so he could be properly buried next to his wife and children.

If they had stopped the video of them beating that woman and asked me for a 5 million dollar ransom to get Stephanie back with out further damage I would have paid it with out hesitation. So I had no problem donating $500,000 to a fund for the survivors in that town. The survivors would have to apply for grants and the lawyer would decide who would get them and how much they would need. I wanted them to have the money to help them rebuild. From his report I knew that years later they still hadn't recovered from all the damage that was done to their town.

I knew they would need help to replant their fields and replace farm animals. I had set aside money to build schools and money for kids to go off to college if they applied. I had the lawyer run a full-page ad in the local paper offering these services and so far besides many grants to fix up damaged properties and rebuild burnt down homes there were 10 kids that had requested financial aid to go off to college. All of the money was being paid in Mukhtar's name but with every dollar spent to help these poor war ravished people I felt a little bit of my karma, of all the bad, I have done being cleansed as well.

I had email confirmation of our honeymoon suite in Bora Bora. I was excited by the villa that had a small pool and our own private beach. It was far away from anyone else and would allow us the privacy I wanted while our rental car would allow us the freedom to explore the island. With the Concorde the nineteen-hour flight time would be cut down to ten hours with one stop in Texas to refuel and I could introduce her to the mile-high club. I let Ella know our destination and advised her on the types of slinky day wear and multiple bikinis Stephanie would need as well as some shorts and sandals. I explained the year-round tropical weather and how I hoped our trip would go. She advised me to have lots of activities planned, that Stephanie would not be happy running around naked on a beach for a whole month.

Finished with my emails I leaned back in my black leather chair and began looking through the resumes of ex-commanders for two offices. I'd offered Marc one position and he'd accepted the Los Angeles position and another guy from Miami, Tower, is training to accept the one here in Trenton. Tower didn't have the bulk of Tank but he was 6' 9" tall and bulky enough to be a WWE wrestler.

Lester had agreed to be the number two here in Trenton but declined the top position knowing that the amount of work would cut into his social life. Bobby was taking over number three in the company over all personnel but would still be retained for now as Trenton's medic. I sent him an email about setting up a training regimen for Stephanie and asked him to text her to set up a time to see her tomorrow morning in the gym.

Hector was keeping me updated about all the searches that were on-going. Boris was an alias that only existed on paper and we had no physical description of him. Antonio was in the wind. Rumors about him setting up business deals in China were being investigated.

Snark had found Montoya and through his phone I facetimed with him. Right there in front of Snark he returned the two million he had been paid to kill me and accepted the five million I was paying to kill Dohar, the man who I had put in an Egyptian prison for running guns and killing people. He promised the kill would be done before the month was out. He couldn't get in the top security jail but knew he could find a lifer needing the cash and for a few bucks they would do it.

…

I had schematics of buildings, electrical systems and neighborhoods across my desk as we tried to find buildings that would fit our needs. I was currently meeting with Tank to discuss the building plans laid out in front of me.

"I don't like any of the ones for San Francisco, they are all too small for what we are looking for." If I sounded disgusted it was because I am. I had two different realtors looking and not one decent property that met my basic requirements between them.

"What about the Corley building?"

"It's big enough but it is steel and particle board. It's barely strong enough to stand up to a stiff breeze. The lot is decent but we would have to tear down the current building and completely rebuild."

"What about the Leeward property."

"It's ten stories but each floor is only 3,000 square feet, not enough room unless the housekeeper lived off site and we forgo having an executive apartment in the building." I didn't like this option.

"I thought we decided housekeeping onsite was mandatory."

"It is. Having a housekeeper onsite is a requirement to having someone cook and stock the break room every day. They couldn't very well cook and transport all that food safely three meals a day. We tried outsourcing food in Boston but you know that turned into a fiasco when they sent people with food that were not authorized to handle our food or access the building. All of our security is for naught if we just let anyone waltz in because they say they have food."

"We could try making the men get their own food." Tank suggested.

"That is a suggestion we have thought about before. The problem is that people are creatures of habit and our men will start to go to the same places to eat all the time. We could be sabotaged with somebody poisoning the food and trying to attack while our workforce is sick in the infirmary." I worried.

"We could cut back on apartments for the men." Tank suggested.

"That is one option but I don't like it. The apartments for the men make the building more secure because at a moment's notice we have half our staff on hand to back up security of the building."

"We could have a secondary building that housed the gun range, the gym, more apartments for men and if it was secure enough an executive apartment."

"The executive apartments must be onsite and secured. There is no point in having an off-site apartment that I have to sweep with a gun and wonder if it has been booby trapped or has bombs hidden in it whenever I go to stay there. Originally, they were for convenience and safety. Now that Stephanie is traveling with me safety is paramount." I insisted.

"So call the realtors, see what other buildings are nearby that could be bought up and converted."

"If the gym and gun range were in a different building we could do conference rooms and storage on 1 and 2, apartments on 3 and 4, infirmary, vault, computer systems and offices on 5, control room and more offices on 6 and 7, housekeeping on 8, executive housing on 9 and 10." I outlined.

"That is starting to seem feasible but whatever building we convert is going to be for the long haul. It costs too much to convert a building for short term use. We should make sure it is going to last long term for our needs." Tank agreed.

"In LA we have several options and I'm wondering if we don't need to start with two branches because it is so big and spread out." I started pulling out the next map. "I think this twelve story one to start. It is near downtown but not too far from some of the residential areas."

"I think we need to start small. Competition there is the fiercest. There are already companies offering close to what we offer, no drive-bys, no constant video surveillance. But they offer live 24 hour monitoring." Tank laid it out.

"Yeah once your alarm is set off they pretend to help. We do preventive monitoring and avoid the break ins to start with." I was sarcastic, "Because once your alarm is set off they can only call you to see if you are alright or send police if no one answers. We can instantly see on our monitors if you have been broken into and send out our own men 24/7. Then we call the police to haul them away but not before making our clients safe. That is why people prefer to pay more for our services."

"That and the single women like to look at our men."

"The married women too and the men like to imagine they could be our men." I smirked.

"So what are we looking at?" Tank asked.

"If they accept our bid on the building we will have our own contractor do the renovations. Basically we strip it down to the bare bones, bullet proof glass in all windows, exterior walls and doors reinforced, conference rooms on 1, gun range on 2, gym and infirmary on 3, guest cells on 4, apartments on 5 and 6, control room, vault and computer systems on 7 and 8, housekeeping on 9, Manager on 10, executive suites on 11 and 12. It is big enough to have six suites, one for us, you, Hector, Bobby and whoever else is traveling from office to office."

"What if each floor was one big suite sharing the same kitchen, dining room, living room and office but having three separate bedrooms and baths." Tank offered.

"That sounds more feasible and nicer and then we only have to decorate the main areas once and each can have a say in their bedroom. Plus there will be room for when we are all there at the same time because for the openings, Bobby is going to need to be there to do all the physicals. I don't want to take anything away from your job but I am thinking of a General Accounts Manager to manage all the accounts in all the offices and make sure that they are growing at an acceptable percent each month and year." I proposed.

"That's a good idea. That way you and I can focus on management of the business. Any ideas for who you would want for the job?"

"Rodriguez handles all our accounts here and has been growing them at a forty percent increase since he has been in the job for the last three years. He's beating out Miami and Atlanta and they have larger markets. If he can teach other offices to do what he is doing successfully we will continue to grow exponentially." I suggested.

"I'm all for that, less paperwork for my desk, and it will be nice to have it all under one person." Tank encouraged.

"I'll set up a meeting with him today. Next week, let's start meeting as a team once a week until we start getting things rolling then we will increase as needed."

"Let's get back to these blueprints. We need to start construction by July to have any building ready to open in two to three more months." Tank recommended.

"I like to have goals to shoot towards, but there is nothing but us saying we need to have new branches opened in September. I would have preferred to have them all open before I leave for my honeymoon but I think we should be more concerned with finding the right buildings first. Then focus on completing all of the upgrades needed and training all the personnel before we worry about setting any given time frame."

"Meaning?"

"If we have to wait a few months to get a building that will meet our needs it is better than spending all the money to upgrade a bad building that we are trying to make work."

"So what are our options in Las Vegas?" Tank questioned.

"I have several that are good options for the building itself but the location is not as desirable as I would like."

"What do you have?"

I pulled a map of Las Vegas out and laid it on top of the other map on my desk. There were four red circles on it.

"All these buildings would work but they are more downtown and are further away from the residential areas that we want to be targeting."

"This one is not too far out of the area." Tank said pointing at the closest red circle.

"It's also the smallest building. The bigger buildings that we want are further away." I answered.

"Which one is your favorite?"

"Leetsdale. It's another twelve story building with lots of room to expand and I think we need to buy with long term in mind. It's only taken us four years to outgrow this building."

"We haven't completely outgrown it."

"No but we already need more office space. I'm considering, in the next two years, buying a national building that will only have national offices and housing in it."

"Do we need that?"

"When I started RangeMan we opened four offices in one year and hired a hundred men. In the past several years we haven't expanded at all just grown in each of the offices. If we keep opening several offices a year for a few years in four years we will be managing 15 to 20 offices, have over a thousand employees and be dealing with thousands of clients. We need offices dedicated to managing all that and be ready for more expansions."

"Do you know where you want to expand next?"

"Not today but I think we need to map out a long term expansion program so we know beyond these three new branches where we are taking the company."

"Like Boca or Naples in Florida, they have a high density of wealthy potential clients." Tank offered.

"Yes but the crime rates in those areas are low, people don't feel the need for our high level of services. I have avoided New York but it is the biggest city in the country. Again there is fierce competition and the driving around we offer for all other branches is going to be difficult at best but there are more millionaires there than any other city in the country so I think we should look at it and see what we can feasibly draw up."

"I agree and Washington D.C. is a big area we need to look at. In D.C. you have all the big wigs that live there but also all the traveling dignitaries that need protection as well." Tank advised.

"So back to Las Vegas I think the Leetsdale building will be the best place to start. It even has a basement which we can utilize. I will get our contractor out there to look it over and give me plans and a cost estimate for the upgrading of it."

As Tank left my office I wondered at my extensive expansion plans that would have one or more branches opening without me being here. Then I reminded myself that while Rangeman ran better and grew faster when I was here the goal was to have a nationwide company that could run smoothly without me and that I had to let go and relinquish control over the running of everything to the experienced men who were well trained and who I knew could run it.

….

The next morning at breakfast I was wanting Stephanie to talk to me. She was meeting with Bobby today and I wanted to know what the plan was. I could have just contacted Bobby to tell me but I wanted Stephanie to be open with me enough to tell me these things.

"So what time are you meeting with Brown?" I broke into the silence.

"9:00"

"Don't you think you should have met with him before breakfast?" I asked worried that she wouldn't be able to work out on a full stomach.

"We aren't working out today. Today we are going to talk and set up a plan. He is going to run me through the machines and see where I am starting and walk me through some self-defense to see what I already know. Then he will devise a work out program and we will actually start training on Wednesday." She explained.

"Wednesday?" I repeated.

"Yes I told him I would work out three days a week to start and he said he could work with that." She told me.

"Well I put him in charge of your training and I know he will set you up right." I was still working hard at letting go of my tight control over every aspect of her life.

…

Later that day I had Bobby in my office to discuss her training.

"Technically this falls under her medical evaluation and since you are not married yet you are not privileged to get this information."

"She is an employee and I am authorized to access all employee medical records."

"Yeah but she isn't actually working for you right now."

"Brown, she will tell me all about it later but she won't be able to tell me exactly what is going on so just tell me what regimen you have set her up on."

"Since she is only willing to work out three days a week I set her up on a cardio training of 20 minutes a day doing HIIT training."

"What is HIIT training?" I questioned.

"Well you old army dogs just go run five miles or more every day but the better training for your body is to run or bike as fast as you can for 30 seconds then cool down for 30 seconds to a minute, then go as fast as you can for 30 seconds and then let your body calm down for 30 seconds to a minute. It is call High Intensity Interval Training or HIIT and it burns fat faster and gets your heart, lungs and your whole body in shape faster. Plus you don't have to do it as long to get the same benefits as a 5 mile run." He explained.

"Ok 20 min cardio." I assented.

"She has to go through all the weight machines every day. In a month or two depending on how fast she gets stronger I will set her up on a rotating schedule and have her work out 4 days a week but for now she is adamant that she will only work out three days a week for 1 hour a day."

"How is she going to get everything done in an hour?"

"That is where I got her. I showed her how fast she could go through the weight machines, 10 reps three sets on each machine, she can get it all done in 20 minutes, but if she takes her time or takes breaks it will take 30 minutes or longer. So we canceled out the hour long restriction and just said, 20 min cardio, 20 min or how ever long it takes her on the weight machines and that I am always available to come help, and then I will put her through 20 minutes of personal protection, self-defense and take down training." He detailed.

"Good job Brown. I want a weekly evaluation of her progress."

"Yes Sir but don't expect massive changes. We are starting her slow and steady to something she can maintain for her lifetime. Long term slow progress is our goal not any short term physical goals."

"I understand, but I have to work not sit here watching my wife in the gym everyday so I need to know from you how she is progressing otherwise I will find myself sitting here watching her in the gym and not getting any work done myself."

"Understood sir."

…

Later that night we sat at the bar in the kitchen eating in silence. I loved listening to her eat but I wanted to get her talking so I could hear about her day.

"Babe, how was your day?" I looked at her directly.

"Great! We figured out where Martie Stalles was hiding. His girlfriend said she hadn't seen him, but her sister came by with a suitcase and then left with the same suitcase and the guys said they could tell by the way it was rolling that it was heavy when she left. We figured she was collecting stuff for Martie. So we followed her and watched and it turned out she was hiding Martie at her apartment. We knocked on the door nicely and he tried to climb out the back window. Junior caught him and we got to turn him in with two days to spare." She was smiling big and I loved her like this, so happy with life.

"Are the guys working out?"

"Yes Junior and Ram are working out pretty good. They deal with Lula well when she comes along and I don't even know who is in the SUV behind us but their day must be deathly boring. I know that Ram was keeping in contact with them throughout the day so they knew where we were going and what we were doing and when we moved in for the take down they were on the sidewalk for back up, but these are two new guys getting trained and I don't know their names." She explained.

"Well for now we are going to keep rotating the guys out for training but also to see who is the best fit. Plus all the guys have to have rotations on monitors and patrols. But if there is someone who is really a bad fit, you don't get along with them or there is a problem let me know and we will take them out of rotation." I detailed.

"I really like Junior. He was a good choice for Julie on the trip because he actually talks some. Well I talk but he replies and it is like a conversation. Where Ram just sits there constantly staring. Eyes moving continually but he hardly ever talks."

"How did things go with Bobby in the gym?"

"I figured you would already know." She said sarcastically.

"Actually I did ask Bobby for a report but he said he was acting as a medical personnel and since we are not married and you officially are not currently an employee he couldn't tell me." I want to have her think that some part of her life is private, besides it was the truth because Bobby had said all of that to me.

"It went well. Bobby agreed to my 3 times a week restriction. He set me up running for 20 minutes, weight lifting 20 minutes and self-defense and take-down techniques 20 minutes. He's going to work on my self-defense by himself at first but he asked me if after a while if it's okay if he brings in some other guys. He wants me to go up against Hal and Cal and possibly Tank. He wants me to get comfortable taking down big guys then I won't be so afraid of taking down an average sized guy."

"That sounds great! I want you to know he made me promise not to watch you everyday in the gym and in exchange he would give me briefings, if it is okay with you, on your progress. But you have to tell him it is okay. Would you be willing to go along with that?"

"Sure, I know you want to know I'm getting better but I want a camera scrambler like the one you have so I can scramble the feed to the gym."

"Bobby has one. He can scramble the feed for you."

"But then I will have to call him every time I am going to work out."

"He doesn't mind, but Babe only the core team have scramblers and I can control myself and not watch you in the gym. Most of the time I am busy with meetings anyway so I am not there to watch you."

"Are you sure? Because it would be awkward trying to work out with you watching every day."

"I'm sure, in fact you can tell Bobby he has my permission to scramble the feeds. The guys in the control room don't need to watch you working out either."

"Babe I need to fly out to see the new buildings we are going to be buying. I'd like you to come with me, it will be a quick trip. Will you come with me?" I changed the direction of our conversation.

"When would we leave?"

"Thursday, we need to get a decision made about the buildings so we can start the construction phase of getting the buildings ready."

"Sure I will go with you."

"I'll let you know when we are leaving."

…

Thursday 04:00

"Why did we have to get up in the middle of the night?" Stephanie mumbled.

"We decided that this would be better than taking a red eye. You can sleep on the plane." I countered.

"I can never sleep on a plane." She said but I knew she slept on the first part of her flight back from Hawaii so I wanted to encourage her.

"Well they will give you a pillow and you can keep the lights above us off and try to sleep on the plane."

"Fine" she grumbled.

Six and a half hours later we were landing in sunny LAX again but this time it was freeing because it was to build up my business not to hide my family from danger. It was hot as we waited outside for our realtor to pick us up from the airport. The traffic coming and going from the terminal covered eight lanes and people were darting in and out of the slow-moving traffic. Finally she texted that she was almost to our pick up point and we got ready.

Carol Sanchez pulled up in a darkly tinted SUV anxious to show us the building but Stephanie needed real food and we agreed to stop somewhere to eat first. M Cafe was a nice whole food macrobiotic restaurant where Stephanie stared at the menu long and hard looking for something to eat.

"I don't understand why we couldn't go to McDonalds?

"Babe there is nothing at McDonalds that I will eat. Besides there is plenty of good food choices here."

"Yeah for you, you like raw vegetables."

"Babe why don't you try the whole wheat and barley ravioli, it has meat and cheese and marinara sauce and it is healthy."

When the food came we sat and ate in silence and Stephanie, happy with her food, moaned the whole way through much to the shock and amazement of our realtor Carol who was eating a small salad and chomping at the bit to get us to the building and get the paperwork signed.

Thirty-five minutes later Carol paid for our meal and we were off. The twelve story brown block building with large mirrored windows on each floor was everything I could have wanted in a building. Every floor was 8000 square feet and big enough that we could grow in the building for years and not out grow it. After touring the building, we met in her office to sign the bid agreement and I reviewed the final agreement to buy the building that still contained blank spaces for the price; she would fill that in once it was agreed upon and send it to me for my final signature. When we were done I had her take us back to the airport where I found a flight to take us to Las Vegas.

"Why do we have to fly again today?" Stephanie grumbled.

"If we fly to Las Vegas today you can sleep in the morning while I work out, have breakfast and then meet up with the realtor at 9. Otherwise we have to get up at 5 am again to fly to Las Vegas in the morning." I explained.

"Sure that sounds like a better option. Let's fly there tonight."

Twenty minutes later we were making our way through security dragging our luggage along. We got to our boarding area with an hour to spare before boarding started and we stopped in at 800 Degrees restaurant to eat fresh made pizza with lots of vegetables in a pesto pine sauce for me and a red sauce with extra mozzarella and pepperoni for Stephanie. After the early dinner we stopped in a bookstore so Stephanie could get some magazines and snacks and went to sit at the gate.

We settled in the heavily airconditioned and crowded room, seated on hard cushioned grey chairs that were all welded together with plugs between every other chair. Stephanie opened up her magazine and I opened my laptop so I could get some business done. Twenty minutes later they called for first class to board and we packed up and got on the plane. Less than two hours later we were landing in Las Vegas and we caught an uber to our hotel.

Once we were settled Stephanie dragged me out into the hot summer night to go see the Bellagio waterworks that were beautiful under the colored lights. Then she dragged me to Freemont street where we looked at all the attractions under the thousands of little twinkling lights that span across the tops of the buildings covering the street. Looking up all you can see is strand after strand of lights casting a romantic glow over everything.

In the morning I worked out a truncated version of my normal workout because the gym at the hotel had several machines and treadmills but no free weights. Then at 07:30 went to wake Stephanie up so we could shower together and ordered room service before we hopped in knowing it would be ready by the time we got out. We got out and got dressed then ate a breakfast of eggs, bacon, and pancakes for her and an egg white omelet with spinach, onions, bell peppers and tomatoes for me. They didn't have many green vegetables options available for breakfast but it was enough.

We met our realtor David in the lobby and he happily showed us around scorching Las Vegas. The sun was bright and the air conditioner was blowing full blast inside his white Cadillac Escalade but I was still sweating in my black polo shirt and slacks. I wanted to see three different buildings and he gladly showed them to us. The Leetsdale building was the best option and we went back to his office to sign the paperwork to make the bid.

Stephanie wanted to do a little sightseeing while we were there so we took an hour and looked at the Eiffel Tower, visited New York, New York riding the roller coaster there and finished up at High Roller observation wheel that stands 550 feet high and 520 feet in diameter. We of course had to ride it and Stephanie was disappointed at how slowly it turned. But it was essentially a giant Ferris wheel and they never turn that fast. Still she really enjoyed it, face glued to the plexiglass sides staring at the strip and pointing at everything she saw as we went around and around.

She was disappointed that we couldn't stay to see a Cirque du Soleil show. I promised her many more trips in the future and that we would come back some time with an extra day just to sight see. Finally it was time to catch our flight back home and we caught an uber back to the airport.

To be continued…

Thank you for reading and all your thoughtful reviews.

Thank you to my beta Sassysaint.


	5. Chapter 5 The Capture

Saving Stephanie

Chapter 5 The Capture

Friday July 2

"I've found him. I think he is getting ready to do another big release for 4th of July."

"Where is he?" I knew he had been searching for Christopher Untaki.

"Cloudcroft, New Mexico." Snark said.

"Never heard of it."

"No and you never will, it is the size of a pin head on a map and has less than 700 residents but he rented a house here a month ago. He used one of his aliases to get a local library card and start a new website "Freedom Fighters Anonymous." I followed him back to his house but we have to move. Libraries are closed on the Fourth so he is probably going to do his big release tomorrow and leave the area." Snark explained.

"I will charter a plane tonight. How many men do we need?"

"At least four but more would be better. Are we trying to catch him in the act to turn him in or just be done with this?"

"As much as I'd like to be done with it let's catch him in the act and then turn him over to the authorities."

"That will only start a lot of red tape and proof that we don't have."

"We'll put cameras up in the library and live-track the website so we can prove it was posted at the same time as he was on-line with proof of the IP address it was posted from. Then we will apprehend him as he leaves the library and we will catch him with the classified information on his body."

"That's a lot more work than my way. Thousands of acres of woods for him to get lost in up here." Snark encouraged.

"It's the hard way. But it's the right way. We just have to do it so he can be prosecuted and the case is airtight." I laid it out.

"Then you need to get some FBI or military police with you. That way they can be here for the capture."

"Negative, they will try to take over. We will call them tomorrow morning and tell them he was spotted and give them the website and let them start monitoring it. By the time he posts and they start moving our way we'll have him in custody. Just having him with the classified documents should be enough but the footage will nail him to the wall."

"That's fine, if that's the way you want to play it."

"I can always use brownie points with SOCOM and the Feds."

Two hours later we were on the runway waiting for final approval for takeoff. I had brought eleven men including Hector and his bag of electronic tricks. I couldn't wait for the Concorde to be ready. A week after we had gotten back I bought the plane outright and requested several modifications to be made to it. The luggage area was getting cut in half and the fuel tank was getting doubled. They were taking out twenty feet of chairs and putting in a small bedroom, a private bath with shower and increasing the size of the kitchen with triple refrigerators for cold drinks, fresh foods and vegetables.

Saturday July 3 01:00

It was a six-hour flight to Roswell, New Mexico and then an hour drive up steep mountains to Cloudcroft that stood at over eight thousand feet. Most of us slept some on the plane and we drove straight to the library to get set up. Snark met us there with two ladders.

Hector led the installation crew. Forming two-man teams we set up cameras at the front entrance and four different cameras on the four archaic computers that the library offered its users. I scouted the small library to find the best locations for the men to hide. There weren't many and it was decided that we would get three vehicles and stay watching from outside with only two men inside.

Once we were done we found rooms at one of the local ski resorts that offered summer tours and swimming and water sports in the highest lake in New Mexico. At 07:00 we met back up in the dining room for breakfast. They didn't do egg white omelets so I made do with a vegetable egg scramble that was heavy on the potatoes, onions and bell peppers, with turkey bacon and dry toast.

At 08:45 the three vehicles were in position three blocks away from the library, each with a description of Chris and his four-door tan Honda Civic. I made the call to the local FBI office and to SOCOM. The FBI said they would be there in four hours and SOCOM said they could have police in the area by this afternoon and that we were to watch but not intercept. Tough chickens he was not going to get away even if he had to spend the rest of his life lost in the woods.

We sat there all morning watching the library where there were never more than 3 patrons inside at any one time. Then right before 13:00 the small parking lot filled with cars and parents led their small children inside for some afternoon activity. In eight minutes the parking lot filled up and there were only a few parking spots left. At 12:59 a battered old Honda wheeled into one of the last parking spots and Christopher Untaki got out. He made his way carefully to the front doors and inside. The men inside were wearing coms and immediately confirmed he had taken a spot at the last computer and had a thumb drive plugged into it.

Hector, working the computer laptop, zoomed the appropriate cameras onto Christopher and started recording everything he was doing on the computer. The outside men moved into place on either side of the front door and at the back door. The inside men, Robert and Bart, reported him working frantically on the computer.

Thirty minutes later Robert reported that Christopher was done and had gone into the bathroom. He moved into position to watch closely, heard the toilet flush and then nothing. After two minutes my men moved to flag the outside of the bathroom and sure enough minutes later the window opened and Christopher's head popped out of the bathroom and he started pulling himself outside. As soon as he was on the ground my men moved in and took him into custody.

He was handcuffed and walked around to the front of the building where he saw me and knew I was the one who had arranged this whole thing.

"Ranger, I should have known." Christopher stated.

"You should have expected it. There were too many well-trained men, that you have been fucking with and endangering their lives by posting this damaging and classified information, to not know that one or more of them would come after you. Some of this information is classified to protect the men that do the missions and every time you post it you put them in danger."

"Illegal missions that never should have been. I have been making the American people aware of what the government has been doing for the last 25 years."

"No the American people don't care because they know the government has been doing those missions to keep the people safe. It is the bad guys that have been reading your blogs and following your posts and then coming after the American heroes who carried out those missions. You have been putting good men in danger with your careless actions and me specifically. My life and the lives of my whole family have been put in danger because of these posts and it stops now, today."

"I don't see any police so I must assume you are going to condemn me and carry out the judgement yourself."

"No the FBI are on the way and military police. You will get to live a long and unfulfilling life behind bars where you will never be allowed to touch a computer ever again."

"Small price to pay to be the patriot that I am."

"You endangered the lives and families of good hardworking American soldiers and their commanding officers; how does that make you a patriot?"

"I informed the American people of the atrocities that the government has been committing in their name." Christopher insisted.

"As I said before the average American person doesn't care. They give the government the responsibility to keep them safe no matter what the cost. They don't care that the government kills some bad guys or gets some drug cartel off the map. They care about their kids and their families being safe. If you ever watched the news you would know that you have been denounced for every release of information you have ever done." I tried to wake him up to the truth.

"Not in the underground, the underground follows me closely."

"Well maybe they will write you in jail because that is the only place you are going to be going. Why were you trying to escape out the window? What tipped you off?

"I just had a feeling the past three days that someone has been watching me and when I got inside the feeling intensified."

"That's because we had four cameras inside watching every keystroke and website you went to on that computer."

"How many days have you been here?"

"We just got in last night but Sidewinder was the one to track you down and call in the Calvary."

"Damn I never saw him."

Snark stepped up and punched Christopher directly in the face and followed it with two punches to the gut.

"You piece of shit. I've had two hits put out on my life because of the information you have released." He forced out.

Christopher was still hunched over but spit blood out on the sidewalk and started talking. "It's no less than what you deserved after the Katuren incident." Christopher insisted.

"Katuren was a cluster fuck. We lost half our men in that battle and the rebels were using civilians to hide behind. Hell half of them weren't even civilians they were their wives and children volunteering to stand up to men with guns while their husbands hid behind them and took pot shots at us. It was a blood bath on both sides and had faulty intel from the beginning. There were twice as many rebels there as the reports stated. We did the best we could with the shitty hand we were dealt. We never should have been sent in like that and we had a hell of a time getting back out and when we went back for the dead we found they had stripped them naked and strung them up in the trees. What gives you the right to shame good men who died to protect the innocent from blood thirsty rebels who just want to cause upheaval and steal from an unstable democracy just being born?" Snark explained.

"You killed over fifty unarmed men, women and children." Christopher contended.

"That was a lie. We killed about twenty unarmed women and children, the men were all armed and hiding behind the unarmed women thinking that we would just stand there and let them pick us off. The numbers in that report were never verified because by the time we had troops on the ground again to get our dead, their dead were gone and buried. We never had final numbers to turn in. The numbers were all guesstimates based on how much ammo we used and how many people each man said they killed." Snark defended.

"They were all innocent you should never have been in Katuren." Christopher maintained.

"Their government asked our government for help. They have only been a democracy for five years and were struggling financially and politically and the rebels were attacking civilians and hijacking trucks full of supplies off the road. They were killing hundreds of innocent civilians and targeting top government officials. They asked for our help to stop the atrocities and after our raid they significantly reduced for over two years. We made a big dent in their firepower. We saved hundreds of truly innocent lives. Where do you put that in your report?" Snark sneered.

"It's all a government lie. They just made up those facts so that the US government would come and take out their enemies they didn't want to deal with themselves." Christopher swore.

"You are delusional and totally out of touch with reality to keep putting American heroes and their families lives on the line so you can carry out this ridiculous vendetta of yours. I researched you. Your family are all still on the reservation and even though they have a beef with the US government and how the Indians have been mistreated in this country they disowned you for working for the government and for stealing from the government and posting classified information on the web. I talked to your mother she is ashamed of you and has disowned you." Snark persisted.

"My family was honored when I became a soldier but disowned me when I started working for SOCOM and handling classified missions. If they knew what I have been doing these past five years they would be proud." Christopher asserted.

"No they are ashamed that you have dishonored the vows that you took and threatened the lives of so many soldiers." Snark pushed.

"I haven't pulled a gun on anyone. In fact, I have never harmed anymore." Christopher maintained.

"No but every time you post information on the web you put a gun to the head of every soldier involved in the clandestine missions. You are one sick man and you will have years to think about what you did while serving time amongst other soldiers who are going to know you turned against them all." Snark enforced.

"Put him in the van." I ordered. He was frisked and we found three different thumb drives on him as well as his wallet.

They secured Untaki in the back of the van with two men staying with him at all times. I called the FBI to find out that they didn't have a team they could dispatch today and requested I take him to the local police station where he could be booked.

I called my General who was in charge of the work I had done since getting out of full time service.

General Reisdon was a three-star general who handled only black ops.

"Good day Sir," I started, "I'm calling with what I hope will be good news."

"Ranger, I can call you up for service but don't have anything for you at the moment. Are you so eager to get your contract over with that you are calling to volunteer for whatever I have on my desk?"

"No Sir. I happened to get a lead on someone the Pentagon has been searching for and I need direction on how to turn him over to the correct authorities."

"Who did you find son?"

"Christopher Untaki"

"You didn't!"

"Yes Sir. I have him in custody but we are in a remote location and the FBI has declined to take possession. They encouraged me to turn him over to the local sheriff suggesting they would be down to get him in a couple of days."

"No way in hell are we letting him get away! The local sheriff would have nothing to hold him on and would end up releasing him. He has to be charged in a military court." The General insisted.

"Yes Sir, that is my concern." I said.

"Hold on a minute Major and I will find out what to do with him. Where are you right now?"

"Cloudcroft, New Mexico."

The line was quiet for a few minutes as I was put on hold. Several minutes later he came back on the line.

"Cloudcroft is a little remote, are you able to transport him to a secure location?"

"Yes Sir."

"Holloman Air Force Base is forty minutes from your location. You take him there and request to see General Manson at the gate. He will come out and take custody. Did he have any incriminating evidence on him?"

"We recorded him doing a data dump onto a website and collected three thumb drives from him that my computer specialist says are encrypted. I didn't ask him to break them but from what we saw him upload onto a website it looked like all classified data."

"Very good. How soon can we expect you at Hollomans?"

"We have to remove all the cameras we installed and we need to search his residence and collect any evidence there."

"Don't worry about his residence. We'll have agents secure it and search it as soon as he is in custody."

"Yes Sir."

"This is good work Ranger. I'm going to draw up a task force work request for this and send it to you. You fill it out and not only will we pay you for this, I might be able to count it towards one of your missions for this year."

"Thank you Sir."

"You deserve it soldier. This is damn fine work. We have been looking for him for five years with no luck. How did you find him?"

"Honestly Sir? I hired the best and had him working with my men to root him out." I told him.

"Who did you hire?" He asked.

"Off the record Sir?"

"Of course."

"Sidewinder."

"And you caught him alive? He isn't dead and buried somewhere?"

"No Sir, we did a clean takedown. Sidewinder left it up to me and I said to make it a sting and take him alive."

"Well after the year you've had and all the danger he has put your family in no one would have blamed you if he had just disappeared, never to be heard from again."

"Yes Sir and we discussed it but this way his case is closed for the government. He will get what is coming to him and all the classified data will be safely back in SOCOM's possession."

"Good work Major and I mean it. Really good work. I'm not going to even ask how Sidewinder found him. I'm sure I don't want to know but I'm glad this was a capture not a silencing. It really is better for everyone that way. There will be a big bonus for your company on this one."

"Thank you, Sir. This resolves a lot of things for me personally. I'm doing it to protect my family. He had to be stopped and I'm glad I could be one of the ones who stopped him."

"Thank you for the call. I'm going to get a lot of kudos for this too. The only way for you to get paid is if I run this through my office so it will make us look good while SOCOM has been botching it for 5 years. The Pentagon is going to really like this. They don't take kindly to classified information going missing and being publicly released. I'll talk to you about this in more detail when I send you that file." The General detailed.

"Of course Sir." I disconnected the phone call. It was good to get that off my chest and good to know I called the right man. I knew the General would have my back and get Untaki into the right hands and make sure he was never freed again.

The librarians all tried to stop my men from taking down the cameras that they had not even noticed were sitting above the bank of computers. But when I showed up they became totally entranced as I carefully explained that a dangerous criminal wanted by the US government was using their computers to upload sensitive information to the web and that we had to record him in the act. I thanked them all for their cooperation and in helping us to catch such a dangerous criminal mastermind and they gladly let my men remove the cameras from inside and outside the library.

We drove in a caravan to Holloman Air Force base and found General Mason. We turned Untaki over to him getting, great adulation for catching him. The General expressed shock that he was so close to the air force base and they never knew where he has been for the last five years.

I gave him the information on the house Untaki was renting and Snark turned over information on two other residences that Christopher seemed to be maintaining and the General assured me they would all be searched immediately.

He thanked us for all the video work and proof we had collected but made it seem like none of it was necessary as they had done a deep recorded search of all the records he had accessed when he wasn't allowed and had an extensive list of all the classified documents he had taken. Regardless I told him I wanted an airtight case and I was glad to provide all the information I could to make sure he never saw the light of day again.

Once we were done we returned to the hotel and checked out. We said our thanks to Sidewinder/Snark and I told him to take some time off but when he got going again to find Boris and Antonio. I would pay him per month until they were found. We left on the same plane we had rented to fly here and six hours later we were departing the plane to drive back home.

…

"So now are you going to tell me where you have been?" Stephanie demanded.

It was 23:00 and I thought Stephanie was asleep when I crawled into bed next to her and tried to take her into my arms. Instead I was holding an angry hornet's nest.

"We went to catch a bad guy." I defended.

"Which one? Did you find Boris?"

"No Christopher Untaki."

"Who is Christopher Untaki?"

"He is the guy who has been releasing classified missions and information about me and my family that the bad guys got a hold of. It is his fault that you are in danger now."

"Do you still have him in custody? I have learned some new moves that I could use on him. He deserves to get beaten up before you turn him over."

"Babe."

"No I'm serious Carlos. My life is forever changed by what he has done and I have a few words of wisdom I would like to impart to him."

"Such as?"

"Like telling him that he is a bastard and I would like to see him rot in hell and hit him a few times about the face."

"One of the men hit him a few times for you but we couldn't beat him up and turn him over to the government. Questions would be asked and procedures would be raised. We can't turn over a government employee all beaten up. But you could send him a letter. He will have nothing to do for the next forty years but read the letters sent to him and trust me when word gets out that they have him in custody many letters will be sent."

"So where did you catch him?"

"New Mexico."

"You went to New Mexico and didn't take me?"

"Babe it was a mission. We didn't see the sights, we waited for hours in a hot cramped vehicle until he showed. Then we caught him and turned him over. We didn't even stop for food all day. You would have been miserable."

"Fine but next time you go do something fun I want to go."

"Babe anytime we are going to do something fun you can go."

Sunday July 4th

I spent the early morning catching up on paperwork and reviewing the proposed work orders from the two buildings in Los Angeles and Los Vegas. Since I had put bids in on them the two companies that did upgrades for me had each sent a person to walk through and write up proposed work orders for the upgrades. Many of my men had gone to the huge annual parade in Trenton. I went with Stephanie and her parents and grandmother.

It was a typical Fourth of July parade with the Boy Scouts, the Girl Scouts, and fire trucks, the rotary club, and the horse brigade. It also included many floats from the local elementary schools, junior high cadets and the ROTC from the local high schools as well as the local high school marching bands. There were of course the soldiers past and present marching for those who were MIA and representing different wars since Vietnam. Stephanie wasn't kidding about parades and how they affected her but she swore to me that these were happy tears. All in all it was a pretty typical parade and after it was all over we were invited back to the Plum house for a barbeque.

In the early afternoon Joe showed up with his dog Bob under the guise that Stephanie hadn't seen him in a while and he was always invited to their Fourth of July barbeques. I trusted Stephanie implicitly and I knew she was committed to me. If she could be teased away from just spending time with another man what we had wasn't going to survive the long haul anyway, but there was no way I was going to let him have one on one time with her and that seemed to be his plan. Catching her alone outside by the grill where he had taken over for her father. Catching her alone inside when her mom sent her to get the potato salad.

I finally cornered him by the glass outdoor table where the food was all lined up.

"Morelli what are you doing here?" I questioned.

"Just spending a fun holiday with my favorite family." He acted innocent.

"You have your own family to spend holidays with. Why did you come over here?

"I just wanted to see Stephanie. She has been avoiding me and I knew if I came I would get the chance to talk to her."

"Joe it's over between you two. Stephanie is marrying me and that is her future. There is no future with you." I clarified.

"I know that I just wanted to talk to her. I want to know if she is happy and if this is what she really wants. I mean you took her away and it is easy to say yes when you are all alone on a tropical island. It's another thing to go back to your life and realize that you are trapped in a mistake." Joe insisted.

"She hasn't made a mistake. What we have is deep and real. Nothing like the on again off again relationship you had with her. We love each other and we are in love with each other."

"What's the difference?"

"You can love someone and not be in love with them. You love your family but you are not in love with them, Stephanie loved you but she was not in love with you. She is and has always been in love with me. It's just that now I am giving us a chance. "

"That's baloney. She was in love with me. She loved me. You just took her away and convinced her that she loved you but it won't last. As soon as I get my chance she will be with me again."

I got in his face.

"Joe you had your chance. Several years of chances and she gave you as much as she was willing to. The fact that you never got together long term proved that you two were never meant to be."

Stephanie walked up on us and interrupted our heated conversation.

"Hey guys what's up?" Stephanie interfered.

"We were just talking." Joe said.

I glared at him knowing he was not going to let this go and that he was going to keep coming after Stephanie.

"Joe just get it over with. Say what you came here to say to her. I'm going to go stand by her dad." I was frustrated and wanted him to move on and stop chasing after Stephanie.

"Joe what did you come to say to me." Stephanie asked.

"I can't talk to you in front of him." Joe nodded in my direction.

I gave Stephanie a quick peck on the lips and walked over to stand next to her dad. Joe stepped close to Stephanie and took her right hand in his and was talking to her earnestly. She started shaking her head at him and he pulled on her hand and bent down to talk in her ear but she took a step back putting space between them again. I hated this but knew it needed to happen for both of them to have closure. She was shaking her head at him again and I could read her lips as she said.

"I loved you Joe but Ranger is the one. He holds my heart. It's over Joe, there will never be a you and me ever again."

This was making Joe upset and I could hear his angry voice carry across the lawn.

"You don't mean that. We've had good years together. We can be good again. You just need to give us a chance."

Stephanie hung her head and I couldn't see what she was saying till she lifted her head to look at him and said. "…You have to face reality Joe that's the way it is. It's time for you to move on too. Find someone who is Burg. Someone that will stay home and have babies and cook and clean for you. Someone that will make you happy."

Joe said something back and Stephanie replied.

"Joe we had some good times but you need to remember all the stress and heartburn and problems you had dating me. We kept breaking up for a reason, deep down, long-term we both knew it would never work."

Joe replied to her and she shook her head at him again.

"Joe just ask my mom to hook you up! She knows all the eligible women in the 'burg'. Karen Spendowski is a second-grade teacher, she is single. And Terri Burbowich is a librarian who is recently divorced. I don't know who you have been sleeping with but there are good women out there and most of them would love a chance with you."

"But I want you." Joe growled.

Stephanie pulled her hand away from him.

"Joe we always fought. You are stuck on the good times and are forgetting all of the bad times. You need to find a woman to take your mind off of me. You are a great catch. Go out and get caught and find another woman you can't live without. One who fulfills all your needs so you don't need two or three other women on the side. Obviously I wasn't doing it for you because that is what you had with me." Stephanie walked towards me and stopped a few feet from me.

"I'm ready to go." She said as Joe walked up behind her.

"Cupcake don't leave like this."

"Don't call me that anymore Joe. I'm not yours. I will never be yours again. You need to call me Stephanie."

"Stephanie don't be like that." Joe insisted.

"Joe there is no other way to be. It's over and you need to accept it is over."

"Fine but I will never stop trying to get you back."

"Do you want to be invited to the wedding?" Stephanie asked him.

"I'd like an invitation but I don't think I will come." Joe answered looking sad.

"So Joe where are you going to watch the fireworks tonight?" Stephanie changed the subject.

"I'm taking Bob to the park where he can run around the lake and we can still see the fireworks.

"Where are you going?" Joe asked.

"We have someplace private but high where we are going to watch them from." Stephanie answered.

"You're not going to break into one of the buildings and watch from the roof?" Joe pursued.

"No we aren't going to break in anywhere. We are going to watch from the roof of the Rangeman building."

I could tell Joe wanted to ask if he could come too but the roof would be filled with my men because it was at a perfect height and you could easily see the fireworks from there.

"Oh well. I guess I'd better be going. See you around Cupcake."

"Joe I have asked you to stop calling me that." Stephanie insisted.

"Sorry Steph it is a long time habit that is going to be hard to break." Joe said quietly.

"Manoso." He tilted his head in my direction and left through the gate in the fence. After our late lunch was over I took Stephanie back to the Rangeman building and we had lots of bedroom activities and took a nap before getting up at 8:00, knowing the fireworks wouldn't start till 9. We went up to the roof where my men had congregated, bringing folding lawn chairs and even roll around chairs from the 5th floor.

I laid out the plaid quilted blanket that lived up in my closet for such events and Stephanie sat down in my lap. We watched the fireworks and listened to the music blaring from a boom box, being broadcast on a local station, that was in time with the firework display. It was beautiful and I was in love and I knew my woman loved me back as much as I loved her and that she would rather live her life in danger and be with me; than live without me. That was a heady feeling.

Monday July 5

My phone rang in the morning while I was working at my desk and I read the number of my mother.

"Mama" I answered.

"Mi'jo, the plans are set in two weeks and I wanted to call and make sure you could come to dinner on Saturday to pick Julie up.

"Pick Julie up from where?"

"Hasn't Rachel been in touch with you?"

"She called a couple of times but it didn't sound urgent so I haven't called her back. I've been very busy."

"Well in two weeks Abuela Sanja is going to fly up here with the kids and they are going to stay for a week with us then you and Stephanie are supposed to come over for dinner on Saturday the 24th and take Julie to stay for a week with you. Then Rachel is flying up here to get the kids and they are going to fly to Hawaii for 10 days; during which time Julie is going to learn how to take care of the seahorses. When they come home they are going to get their seahorse tanks set up. Once the tanks are all set up, the seahorses that they are going to pick out while they are in Hawaii, are going to be shipped to them. So can I expect you and Stephanie for dinner on that Saturday?"

"Of course Mama we will be there."

"Good cause I am going to be cooking your favorite foods too and see if your daughter loves them as much as you do."

…

"Rachel"

"Ranger you are finally calling me back. Talked to your mom I guess."

"She said you were coming to visit."

"The kids and Grandma Sanja are coming to visit. Julie is going to stay an extra week to visit with you and Stephanie if that still works for you."

"Of course, we would love to have her."

"Do you have anywhere for her to stay? You only have a one bedroom apartment."

"Well she could stay on the couch."

"You have a sleeper couch?"

"Not yet. It's that or we could get a cot for my office and we can turn that into her bedroom."

"She's becoming a teenager. She needs her privacy. I vote for turning your office into a bedroom for her. Especially if she is going to be coming to visit you more often."

"More often?"

"Carlos she's curious. She wants to know more about you and spend time with you. You are her birth father and she wants to know more about where she comes from."

"And you think more visits with me are a good idea?"

"You are becoming more responsible and stable and able to take care of her emotionally in a way you never have before. I don't know how long it will last but for now she wants to spend more time with you. Until she doesn't or until she gets in trouble I will be allowing this. It's good for her to know more about you and where she came from. She is a lot like you. Stable, less emotional, not phased by things that would upset most people."

"Rachel I will do everything I can. But I can't promise much. There is not much I can tell her about myself. "

"You can tell her about your childhood. You can tell her about being a teenager in Miami. You can tell her about not having unprotected sex with strange men that she doesn't know."

"My mother and abuela have photo albums they can tell her a lot more about me. Probably better than I can."

"Carlos just be available for her. She needs this right now and it is good for her to know you and Stephanie better."

"I'll do what I can." I promised, more to make her feel better than anything else. I was a hard closed off man and no one knew much about who I was now. There wasn't much she could know about me.

…

Dinner with Stephanie is always the highlight of my day. Listening to her eat was foreplay for me and always made me achingly hard. Tonight was roasted chicken and vegetables with wild rice. She was happily moaning her way through her meal and I was content to let her.

After dinner I returned to my apartment office to go through a little more paperwork and review the information the realtor had sent to me. The bid for the Leetsdale building in Las Vegas had been accepted but there was a counter offer on the Hardwood building in Los Angeles. It was only for a few hundred thousand more and it was a great building so I approved the counter offer and electronically signed the paperwork for both buildings and sent them back to the realtors.

I shut down my computer and wandered into the bedroom to find Stephanie in bed with her laptop across her lap reading something she obviously thought was funny. I stripped from my cargos and shirt, locked two of my weapons in their case but carried my glock out and put it on my nightstand then climbed into bed beside her to find that she was wearing her wench costume under the covers. This pleased me. It was an off the shoulders low cut burgundy dress that had a puffed out skirt that she normally wore with no underwear on.

I had received all the special outfits a week after we had returned from Hawaii but I had been introducing them slowly and so far the Zorro outfit seemed to be her favorite. I'm half surprised I didn't find it laid out on the bed waiting for me. I got up and went back into my closet to find it has been pulled out and was hanging with the cape and sash on a hanger in the front of my closet.

I quickly changed into it, including the Spanish top folded down boots made famous by Puss-in-Boots from Shrek that she had bought for me after the first time I wore the costume for her. XXL G-string in place, I attached the red sash with sword and whip, cape and mask topping it off with a black Spanish hat and smiled into the mirror that was on the back of the closet door. I was a handsome devil and the mask made me look dangerous and daring. Things that seemed to turn her on.

So far she had liked all the outfits I had introduced to her, the Tarzan and Jane outfits had made her laugh. I had played the jungle man come to save her from the wild animals and she had enjoyed dressing up. The soldier outfits had made her wet and anxious. I played the weary soldier returning from war the first time and the second time we played that she was in my platoon and I was her very commanding officer. That seemed to go over better for her and she was so cute even as she has never been able to take orders. I led her through the bomb laden battle field of the living room, the dining room touching her provocatively and kissing her all the way and finally took her passionately on the kitchen counter.

Tonight I had something special planned, I opened my safe and took out a two foot section of rope. I was going to put my damsel in a little more distress. I emerged from the closet with great fanfare and struck a pose.

"Fear not my damsel I'm here to save you." I smiled big at her. She had put her computer away and was now laying provocatively on top of the covers wearing 5-inch black FMPs.

"Before we get started I must get you ready for your performance." I told her holding up the rope.

"What are you going to do?" She asked hesitantly.

"I'm going to make it so you need rescuing." I slyly said as I held my right hand out to her.

She got up and came to me and I led her over to the brown leather chair that sat in the corner facing the bed. It was here for me to sit in the mornings when I would put on my boots and it was nice to have something to sit in while I watched her sleep, something I still did on occasion when I didn't feel worthy of getting into bed with her after a particularly bad day. But tonight, it would hold her in place while I took pleasure from her and drove her wild. The large captain's chair swallowed her whole as I sat her in it and I pulled the chair out from the wall so I could get behind it.

I carefully pulled her arms behind her and tied them loosely together. I knew if she struggled against this rope and it was tight it might leave some marks and I didn't want that. I wanted her barely contained so that I could tease her till she begged for me to please her and give her release.

I bent and gave her a gentle kiss on her sweet pink lips.

"Be right back. Don't go anywhere."

"Wait what? You can't leave me here like this." She lifted her shoulders slightly.

"Babe I'm not leaving. You just call out for me to save you once I'm on the other side of the door." I looked at her seriously but I was smiling inside. I wanted to see what she would do with this. I walked to the bedroom door. Winked at her and stepped outside and closed the door behind me. I waited in the silence for her to call out to me. This was all new to me, role playing and stepping outside of myself.

I have always enjoyed saving Stephanie without her ever asking, like when she was swinging free from the top of the bridge, or every time her car has gotten blown up or when she unexpectantly or unexplainedly goes missing and I spend hours trying to find her. I have always cared for her, saving her means so much more than saving anyone else. Now I waited anxiously to "save her" yet again.

"Help?" Her soft questioning voice came through the door. "Save me!" was said louder.

I burst through the wooden bedroom door and drew my saber. I fought diligently with armed combatants coming at me from all directions. Swishing and swashing and shuffling forward and back my legs spread, leading with my right one. They backed me into the door and I jumped onto the bed to fight three at once. I defeated them one at a time as Stephanie's smile grew bigger and bigger all the while.

The last combatant got a lucky shot in and my sword went flying behind me. I jumped down off the bed and flew into a series of judo moves that had me body slamming him and pounding his face into the floor. When I was done I was breathing heavy and thinking that my grand finale might have been a little grotesque for a love making scene but I had totally gotten in to this and was fighting for my life and hers.

My breathing was elevated as was my heart rate and I was more excited going into a love making session than I had ever been in my whole life. I wanted to take my damsel and throw her to the ground and ravish her. I needed her and was now busting out of my XXL G-string. I walked over to her and lifted her up by her arms and gave her a bruising kiss and then dove into her mouth, pulling her to me and grinding my everlasting need into her hips. I focused on her for a minute and knew I needed to get her brought up to my speed fast.

"Are you wearing anything underneath this?" I asked.

"Some things a man should find out for himself." She coyly answered and from the last time she had answered me with this line and the fact that she had been bare then I was guessing she was bear again right now. I roughly grabbed her elastic dress and pulled the top down so that her breasts were showing. I grabbed her on either side of her chest and lifted her up to my mouth. I needed to be physical with her and excite her at the same time and I ravished her breasts, licking and sucking on each one in turn until they were hard little pebbles and she was gasping with need.

She was hot and I was painfully aching to have her now but I had a plan when I tied her up. I wanted to lick her till she begged me for release. She begs with her body and she threads her hands through my hair and pins me to her but I wanted her to be more vocal and deny her the ability to grab me. I wanted to make her speak her need for me. My dick was busting out at the seams thinking about her sweet husky voice begging for me.

I wanted to rip her dress from her but I did one better. I lifted up the short skirt and tucked it into the lowered neckline and began kissing my way down her stomach to her knees and slowly back up again.

There she stood in 5-inch heels pushing her sweetness out for me to taste and I could do no less than to ravish her. I could smell her excitement as I passed and began my slow march up her inner thighs wanting her to desire me and demand her fulfillment as much as I was going to demand mine. I licked and nipped my way up her trembling thighs and I could see her wetness glistening in the low light of the room.

Holding her on each side of her hips I slowly licked her from the bottom of her glistening plump lips to the top of her need and she widened her stance and stepped forward a little, moaning.

"Carlos" escaped her lips as she leaned forward into me pressing forth for release.

I smiled up at her I was going to drive her out of her mind with need. I pulled her succulence to my parched lips and I tasted her again. Gently exploring her honeyed passage, I examined every over-wrought crevasse and fold, teasing her lips with my own firm ones. I licked the length of her over and over with a hard-flat tongue that was driving her wild.

"Carlos, Please." She whimpered.

That's what I wanted to hear. Her begging me.

I pulled away from her and smiled. "Please what?" I quietly asked.

"More" came the heavy refrain as she panted, her heavy-lidded eyes half closed in passion.

"Anything for you Babe." I answered and took her in my mouth once again.

I kissed her hard and then released her hips with my right hand and slid two firm fingers into her dripping warmth and began to stroke in time with my hot licks. Minutes later she was hovering on the edge, head thrown back, eyes closed, her entire body was tensed, pressing her core out as far and as hard as she could, in preparation for the mind-altering explosion.

With a conscious refined balance of experience and knowledge of her body; I fondled, stroked, massaged and sucked with an exquisite versatility that kept her hovering, suspended in a state of bliss just short of orgasm. She moaned and groaned as she began to thrash on my experienced fingers desperate to end the exquisite torture. Knowing I had dragged it out as far as I could I grasped her left hip tighter and pulled her body down forcing her knees to bend outward and putting her into a mini-squat.

She wavered in this new position for a moment before her thighs. worked to the max, began to shake and I plunged a third finger into her tight core increasing the pressure and stroking her hard while I sucked on her clit and she shattered. Her whole body clenching completely tight and then contracting in waves with her inner muscles that grasped hard around my fingers desperate to hold them in place.

She wavered in the air for a long moment before her legs gave out completely and she began to fall. I quickly pulled my fingers out from her tight sheath and grabbed her hips, breaking her fall and slowly lowering her down onto my folded legs. I lowered my g-string that had been stretched to the max and my throbbing length popped forth ready for action.

I lifted her up and without any further preamble slid her hot wet warmth down my steely length. I gritted my teeth as she contracted hard around me and I held my breath because it felt so good. I wanted to slam her up and down until I released deep in her core but I held back giving her time to come down from her explosive orgasm. I had learned long ago in my worldly travels that some cultures equate sexual expertise to spiritual enlightenment and that speed and haste were a deterrent to ultimate carnal pleasure.

Her head flopped forward and rested on my shoulder as she gasped big breaths and her heart continued to race. Her thighs twitched with the exertion she had been putting forth just as her inside moved and massaged my maleness as they continued to twitch with her release. I wrapped my muscular arms around her waist, pulled her tight against me and I could feel the fabric of her dress impede our skin to skin contact.

Still I could feel her tightly budded breasts pressing into my chest and I leaned forward and bit down on her pulse point as I rocked up into her. This set off a whole new cascade of shockwaves reverberating inside and throughout her entire body so I kept clutching her close and rocking into her until they began to pass.

Finally she lifted her head up and I looked into her wonderstruck eyes at the deep fulfillment there and I kissed her, oh how I kissed her, with all the pent up passion I had inside me brewing and bursting to escape. I moved my right hand to the back of her head and pinned her mouth to mine as I explored every inch of her lips and tongue and cheeks inside.

Then I lifted her up almost off me and slid her back down and in that one single stroke I had to have her with a ferocity that ran through my chest down my spine and filled my dick with need. I felt myself growing inside her and I lifted her silky sweetness up and brought her warm heat back down and reveled in how good it felt. I would never understand how she did what she did to me, it was like magic, she transported me to a place without space and time where there was only sensation and like a trained dog I grew hard when ever she was near and I could never get enough.

Slowly she took up the rhythm, driving me out of my mind. I loved this, every minute of this wanting it to last forever, me being secured inside her welcoming heat, being connected on what was probably a soul level because that was how much I needed her, down to the core of my being. My need for her had no end and no beginning it was as vital to my life as the air I breathed and now that I had let her in there was no limit to what I would do to protect her.

She lifted up off me and holding her curvaceous hips I drove her back down and my balls tightened imperceptibly underneath me. Her silky core rose up and I pulled her back down onto my waiting hard length. Finally I couldn't take it any more and I took over the rhythm. Drawing her up my impatientness and sliding her back down my steel rod. Over and over we went until I felt her sheath tighten up and start to throb as she cried out her release and I let go filling up her effervescence to the brim with my sticky need.

When she was done she collapsed against me and I held her to me. Holding her in my steely warmth, feeling her heart pound against my racing heart. Our sweat sheened bodies sliding against each other. Our breaths mingling as one. This was just our first round for the night but it had been fantastic and I couldn't wait for us to get cleaned up and start over again.

To be continued…

A/N: I had thought to save all the sexiness for the honeymoon but that was getting further away than I wanted so here is a little to tide everyone over.

I need to let everyone know that I will finish this story but there are things going on in my life that is making writing difficult. The biggest one is I am being prepared to be gone for 4 weeks. I had been hoping to get ahead in my writing before I left but I am working more than full time and things are happening at home that are making it impossible. So I have one chapter ready before I leave and then I will be gone till mid July. Once I get back I will start posting again as soon as I can so please bear with me. The real story gets started the week of the wedding so it will all happen once I get back. Hang in there with me.

Thank you for all your support and your wonderful reviews. I appreciate them very much!


	6. Chapter 6 Family for Dinner

Saving Stephanie

Chapter 6 Family for Dinner

We were driving to my mother's house, excited because I hadn't seen Julie since May. I had talked to her a few times and been the subject of many of her texts to Stephanie that Steph would tell me about but the last time we had talked she told me about how excited she was to fly up here and spend a week with Grandma Maria and Grampa Javier. She had texted me a few times to tell me they had gone to the beach and spent time with Becky and Maggie. Now it was going to be my turn to entertain her for a week and I had two days dedicated to it while Stephanie had taken the whole week off to entertain her.

When we arrived instead of my mother at the door it was Julie and Freddy and Abuela Sanja, greeting and hugging everyone. I hugged her close to my body.

"Hey Jewels, How was your week?"

"Fantastic. Grandma and Grandpa kept us going all week and now I get to come stay with you. So Dad what are we going to be doing all week?"

"Well we have a few things planned but some of it is going to be a surprise. Let's go see what mama has made for dinner."

"Oh she said she was making all your favorites." Julie confirmed.

"Hello _Abuela_ Sanja." I kissed her on the cheek as I passed.

Julie took my hand and led me into the house where I realized everyone else had already arrived. I greeted each of my sisters as they helped carry food to the table. I was surprised to be so warmly welcomed and hugged by everyone. I hadn't had this many hugs from my sisters since I was a kid. All the men including papa and Julio were in the living room talking. I greeted my father and was pulled into a big hug. I don't know if it was the adventure we had been on as a family or all the money I had given everyone but for the first time in my adult life they seemed really happy to see me. I went around the room greeting everyone; Diego, Richard, and Jordon White, Angelia's husband.

"How is the business going son?" Papa asked.

"It is going well. We are working on new expansions out on the West Coast and everything is going smoothly."

"I hope you are going to take time out of your busy schedule to spend time with Julie. You have only been to one family gathering since we got back two months ago."

Had it really been that long? I knew my mother had been calling me more often and that she had invited me to several different events for the family but the only one I had been to was the gathering for my men where mamma had cooked a feast of food and invited them all to come and hang out with the family. I had gotten an emergency call in the middle of the meal and had to leave but I had heard from my men that they had all enjoyed it and had a fabulous time.

"I have made special plans to spend time with Julie this week. I will have plenty of time with her and Stephanie has planned to go do some special things with her and the girls." I explained to him.

All the younger kids were seated outside at a fold up table. I helped Papa carry the kitchen table into the dining room and we sat the two tables end to end. While Julie, Maggie and Becky carried in the extra chairs. We all gathered around the table and I was impressed at how the family was growing. Both my _abuelas_ were here, all of my sisters and their husbands, my daughter and my nieces were now old enough to be included at the adult table and Stephanie was here by my side.

My mother had made some of my favorites: _Lechon Asado_ (Cuban mojo marinated pork) that was delicious, _Arroz Con Pollo_ (chicken with a yellow rice that was spiced with saffron and cumin), _Ropa Vieja_ (Cuban shredded beef) this was my favorite served over a white or as Ella made it wild rice, _Yuca con Mojo_ (Cuban style yuca) that I loved even though it was a bit starchy and _Papas Rellenas_ (potatoes stuffed with meat and then fried) I don't really eat these anymore, Fried Sweet Plantains, a standard side dish for any Cuban meal with several kinds of flan, and _Torticas De Moron_ (sugar cookies with guava topping) for dessert.

As each dish was passed my mother explained them to Julie and asked her to taste each one. I was certain my mother had been cooking Cuban food all week so I wasn't sure what she was looking for in this special meal. Maybe some confirmation that Julie was more like me because she liked the same foods as I did. I wasn't sure but it seemed important to my mother. After all the food was passed and tasted normal conversation resumed and everyone wanted to let me know what they were doing this summer and what had been happening since May.

"I'm starting school again in September" Oshanna started. "Mom and Dad helped me with getting enrolled. Now that I have money to afford it I've transferred to Esaie Couture Design School in New York. It's much better than where I was going before. But I'm kinda keeping my job. When I told them I was quitting to go back to school they offered me a paid intern position that is part-time and they will work around my classes. I only have two years left and they want the first crack at hiring me when I finish school."

"That's great Oshanna. I'm glad they are keeping you on. Even if you don't go on to work there in the future, they will be a great reference for you." I encouraged.

"Actually I will probably start with them when I get out of school. Every year hundreds of students graduate with design degrees and there are limited jobs out there. Here they have promised me a job with one of the design teams if I stick with my internship." Oshanna explained.

"Excellent, I know you will do a great job for them." I was proud of her for doing this. It would be hard but it would keep her busy and out of the partying scene a little.

"We found a house." Isabella gushed.

"That's great where are you moving to?" Angelia asked.

"Well it's in a more expensive neighborhood than we were looking in before but since we have money now we expanded our search. It is a really nice four bedroom; two stories and it is only five minutes from the hospital. Our bid was accepted and we close at the end of the month."

"Congratulations to you both. That is great news." I told them.

"When do you move in?" Stephanie asked.

"The first weekend of next month. You are all invited to the moving party. We are going to have drinks and pizza and there will be plenty to do." Diego added.

"Carlos we have been working with your guy, Steve," Leyla started, "and he set us up with a CPA firm who helped us plan out our taxes. We set up separate accounts for our retirement, our play money, our taxes etcetera. But he is amazing! In just only two months we have made over $100,000 on our investments. He helped us figure out how much we would need to retire for good and we will meet that number in 10 years or less based on the timeline he worked out for us." Leyla said.

"Congratulations to you. I know Steve is a great guy. He has been managing my money and investments for years."

"Thank you _mi'jo_ for the money, with what we already have saved we could retire now but your father is getting his business set up so it can truly run with out him then I will retire and we will do some traveling and he will continue to work when we are in town." Mama told me.

"That's great mama. I'm glad you are all working it out smartly. Some people when they get a lot of money blow it all with out planning for their future." I complemented. "Angelia what are you doing with your money?"

"Well I paid off my credit cards and we are doing a little remodel on the house. Adding a pool and sauna, you know. But more of the money has been put aside. Jordan has his own money advisor we have been using but he has the money invested in long term growth products. We're not getting the returns Leyla is getting so I may need to relook at what we are doing with it long term." Angelia explained.

"Julio what are you doing with your money?" I asked really curious.

"Well as you know I got a lot less than my sisters but I too have been working with Steve on a retirement plan and it is going to take me a lot longer but I can retire in about 20 years or about when I stop having to pay for my child support." Julio said

"Well you also need to add in things like getting married again and maybe more children. You can't live the single life forever and finding the right woman can make your life seem even more meaningful." I offered.

"Yeah I've thought about that quite a bit because now I can afford to find a nice wife and Steve is trying to get me to move from renting to owning and then I will have something long term. He also advised me to invest in property." Julio explained.

"Definitely investing in property long term is advisable. Especially if you are planning to get married again and have more children." Mama said.

"I'm thinking about it and starting to look. I have a different mind frame now to look long term at the woman I am dating instead of just one-night stands." Julio told us.

I know this is a big admission for my brother to make and maybe giving him that money and pairing him up with Steve is helping him grow up a little instead of frittering the money away.

"That's good Julio, maybe it will be your wedding we are planning next." Isabella suggested.

"Don't start planning anything yet but I think maybe next summer or fall. I want to get to know her and live exclusively together for six months before I plan on marriage. I didn't do that the first time and we were not as compatible as I thought we were when we met." Julio said.

"You weren't compatible because you were still going out and partying every night. When you meet the one you will want to stay home with them every night and stop all the partying." Leyla offered.

"And you have to stop sleeping around with other women. Until you can commit a lifetime to only one woman you don't need to start looking. Marriage is a commitment of a lifetime," Mama added.

"I know. Allysa was a good girl she didn't deserve what I did to her and I miss Jacob. Now that I have more money I'm going to start going out to California more often." Julio admitted. "Carlos, Allysa sends her thanks. With you paying for her schooling she can go back full-time and will have her degree in two and a half years. She is really grateful."

"Well it's just a little thing I could do for her and Jacob. Once she gets out of school she will be able to get a good job and will be less dependent on you for money. Plus she will be more desirable on the matchmaking market. She is more likely to find a man in college or once she has a degree than if she is sitting home taking care of Jacob." I told him.

"Yeah I guess. I wanted her to find someone to marry and adopt him so I didn't have to take care of him anymore but now that I have money I can see that I won't ever give him up. I look forward to him becoming old enough that he can come and visit his old man and we can have time together. Allysa says when he is four or five if I will fly with him out and back she would let him come and visit for a week or so at a time." Julio continued.

"That will be great for him and for you," Leyla said. "There is nothing like kids in your life to set your priorities straight."

"It is another motivation to buy a house. Then he could have his own room and a yard to play in when he comes to visit."

"And we would get to see him more. I would even be willing to do some of the flying to bring him out here." My mama offered.

"So speaking of weddings how is the wedding planning going Stephanie?" Oshanna asked.

"It's coming along great. Your mother and my mother are planning the whole thing. They have ordered the flowers and decorations and my dress is basically planned." Stephanie answered.

"I haven't gotten an invitation yet and it is only three months away." Angelia said.

"We sent out save the date cards as soon as we got back from Hawaii." Mama said. "We have to have a party to address all the invitations. The guest list is over 300 at this point so I'll be asking all of you girls to come over on a Saturday and help. Maybe next Saturday."

"So you already have the invitations?" Isabella wondered.

"Yes, let me show you." Mama got up from the table and disappeared. She came back a few minutes later with several cards.

"We decided on this one with a picture." She passed one card around one side of the table and a second card going around the other side of the table. The top half of the invitation was a picture of Stephanie and me, that I remember my mother taking on the deck of the ship the day we went snorkeling in Hawaii and swimming with the turtles. It only showed us from the chest up but Stephanie was in my arms and we were looking lovingly at each other. It was a very moving photo. The rest of the card was in black print below the photo with blue scroll all around the edges. It was a very nice card and a good picture of us but I wish she hadn't put Stephanie's picture on it. It created a target that would be painted square on her back.

"Mama they are lovely but I wished you hadn't used a photo." I objected.

"Nonsense Carlos that's the least of what everyone should get that is not coming to the wedding a beautiful picture of the bride and groom." Mama scolded.

I had to keep my temper in check. All of my enemies would know without a picture who Stephanie was. She had been in my life and in the newspapers too much to hide her. The only thing I could do is work hard to keep her safe. Nothing had happened since sending out the save the date cards but with our picture and names it would definitely be known that we would be getting married and she would become a bigger target.

So far the chatter on the street knew about us but I hadn't heard any threats from across the seas and that is where the real threats would come from. I read the card, it was short and sweet.

Mr. and Mrs. Frank Plum cordially invite you

to the wedding of their daughter

Stephanie Michelle Plum

To

Ricardo Carlos Manoso

On Sept 24 at 10:00 am

At the Saint Joseph Catholic Church

Trenton, New Jersey

Reception to follow at the VFW Hall

2234 Veterans Way, Trenton, New Jersey

I was certain that Mrs. Plum had insisted on the wording, wanting it to be as prim and proper as possible for a second wedding. I passed the card to Stephanie who immediately passed it on so I had to assume she had seen the card in advance. Damn, maybe I should have stayed more in the loop with the wedding planning and not just left it up to our mothers.

"So where are we with the dress?" Leyla asked.

"Oshanna did the design two weeks ago and we have three dress makers giving us quotes. We should know something this coming week." Mama told everyone.

"Do you still have a copy of the design we can see?" Isabella eagerly asked.

"I will show you girls after dinner. Carlos isn't allowed to see it but it is beautiful." Mama said.

"So Mama what did you do this week with the kids." I asked. I had asked her not to take them to Six Flags and I knew they went to the beach; besides that I didn't know and I didn't want to repeat what they had already done this week.

"We went to New York. Julie tell your father all the things we did this week."

"Well we went and saw the Statue of Liberty and toured Ellis Island. We went to the top of the Empire State Building. We saw Rockefeller plaza and then we went shopping and got everyone new bathing suits and flip flops and we went to Point Pleasant and we spent the day at the beach hanging out and riding some of the roller coasters. We got to spend two nights in New York!" She beamed.

"That's terrific." I answered. That was something I had not even thought about, taking them to New York.

"And we went to Central Park and the 9/11 Memorial and Museum while we were there." Maggie added.

"So dad what are we going to do this week?" Julie asked.

"Well I have to get with Leyla but one day this week I want to take you girls to Six Flags."

The girls looked at each other in amazement and cheers went up around their end of the table and I smiled. After the fun they had at Universal Studios I knew they would enjoy this.

"I was thinking one day we too would go to the beach. It is one of Stephanie's favorite places. Then I have a couple of ideas for us to discuss but one thing that is planned is for you to help decorate a bedroom so you will have your own room when you come to visit."

I had already ordered a smaller desk and while it will still be my office the rest of the year there is now room for a bed and a dresser and I wanted her to be able to pick out her own furniture and decorate it to her specifications.

"So maybe I could come and visit again?" Julie questioned.

"I will have to talk to your parents but I was hoping maybe you could come up for a few days during your Christmas break. Maybe between Christmas and New Year's." I assured her.

"Oh Dad that would be awesome. I get almost three weeks off for Christmas break. I would look forward to coming up and seeing you and hopefully getting some snow. I've never seen snow and never built a snowman and Becky and Maggie were telling me all about the winters up here." Julie gushed.

"Yeah Jewels, I would like that if your parents would be OK with it." I hoped.

"Do you have reservations to come up for the wedding?" Stephanie asked.

"Yes mom already bought the plane tickets. We are flying in the Friday before and staying till Sunday. Then we are flying back. That way dad doesn't miss too much work." Julie explained.

"That sounds wonderful. I'll have to talk to your mother but if you don't already have hotel rooms reserved you could always stay with us." Mama offered.

"I don't know about hotel rooms but I'll tell mom to talk to you about it." Julie said.

Conversation continued and an idea came to me.

"Leyla and Richard, I have an idea. If it would be OK with Julie, we would like to invite Becky and Maggie to come have a sleepover for a couple of days. Tuesday we are planning on going to Six Flags and Wednesday Point Pleasant. Then Thursday Stephanie and Julie can bring them back to Newark. If that's OK with you Stephanie?"

"Sure I'd love to have the girls over." She answered.

"I think it would be OK, but they don't have any clothes with them." Richard said looking at Leyla.

"I think the girls would love it." Leyla added.

"Then it is settled. When we leave here we will take the girls to your house and they can each pack a bag. Then come and stay with us for a couple of days." I told everyone. The girls were ignoring us, down at the end of the table caught up in their own conversation.

"Good thing we brought the Cayenne." Stephanie said to me. I just smiled at her.

"Julie," I got her attention. "How would you like to have Becky and Maggie come and stay with you for a couple of days. It would be like a sleep over."

"Sure" She smiled back at me. "That would be great!"

More talk about the wedding abounded and I got to hear more details about the decorations for the church, the flowers, the decorations for the reception and the two hotels they had picked out for out of towners to make reservations at. It seems my mother has been in touch with some of the family from Miami and a lot of them want to come. Oh my, the wedding was reaching epic proportions and it was my fault as I said to invite everyone. I just didn't think so many people would travel to come and see me get married. It's been years since I saw any of the family from Miami and I thought they would just send some small present or a note of congratulations.

"It's time Stephanie. You can't put it off any longer." Mama said. Hearing Stephanie's name pulled me out of my reverie.

"Time for what mama?" I was curious why she sounded so serious.

"Time to sign up for a gift registry. She needs to go to at least three stores and sign up so we can put the registry cards in the wedding invitations." Mama expounded.

Stephanie's shoulders slumped.

"I don't know what we need. I don't cook and Ranger's kitchen is fully stocked anyway. We have towels and sheets. What could anyone buy us?" Stephanie said,

"Stephanie's right, we don't need anything." I insisted and anything we did need we could buy for ourselves.

"But it's tradition to buy the bride and groom a token of affection. You can't deny the family that." Leyla added.

"Yes people are going to want to buy you something or give you money."

"Some people who don't need anything pick charities for people to donate to in their name." Isabella offered.

"Or they start Go Fund Me pages that people can donate to. Some people start a go fund me page for their honeymoon or towards saving for a house or a car." Oshanna offered.

"I have one program that is very dear to my heart. Could we use that one?" I asked.

"What is it?" Papa asked mildly interested in this line of questioning.

"There is a war-torn village in Turkey that got decimated by some international thugs. They burned down half of the village and killed a lot of the villagers. I rescued some of the villagers there and they did me a big favor so now I have set up a fund to help them rebuild their houses and replant their fields." I offered without telling them directly of Mukhtar's involvement.

"Well that is different but if it is important to you I'm sure the family would be willing to donate to it. You might want to pick two or three charities so people can have a choice." Mama encouraged.

When dinner was over we said goodbye to everyone amidst a bunch of hugs and loaded the three girls into the back of the Cayenne. We drove while the girls asked questions about what we would be doing that week and I explained that I had meetings on Monday that I had to attend and that Tuesday and Wednesday we would be going to have fun then bringing the girls back on Thursday.

I made sure they knew that this was a sleepover and that they would all be sharing one big bed that was the pull-out couch or that they would have to bring sleeping bags and sleep on the hard floor. They all agreed that the couch bed would be fine and they talked incessantly amongst themselves.

We arrived at Leyla's and Richard's house right behind them. It was a yellow trimmed white house with lots of plants on the porch and in the yard. There was one big tree in the front yard and around it was a circle of red flowers. Bushes lined the front of the house under the windows and a 6-foot wooden fence ran around the side of the house around the backyard.

The girls quickly went inside and I encouraged them to bring a set of work out clothes, beach clothes and several days of play clothes. Stephanie and I followed them into the house that was decorated in blues, greens and yellows and we sat on the couch as Richard and Leyla got their boys ready for bed.

"We appreciate you taking the girls, I'm sure they will have a lot of fun." Leyla said as she came out of a bedroom.

"It is our pleasure and it will help keep Julie entertained. The last thing I want is for her to come over and find out that we are boring as hell and spend all her time on her phone talking to friends."

"Yeah keeping teenage girls interested and entertained is a feat." Richard added.

"They had so much fun together on the trip and last week with Mama and Papa that I think they will have a lot of fun again."

"Definitely and if you run out of things for them to do you can give them office jobs or turn on Netflix; they can always find something to watch on Netflix." Leyla said.

"I'll remember that." I confirmed.

Minutes later the three girls were back giggling, talking and all excited. I loaded all their stuff in the back and got them loaded in the car. I turned on a pop-rock station for them to listen to as we drove and then realized I didn't need to do that; they were engrossed in talking with each other and after half an hour switched it to a jazz station that was easier to stay in the zone with.

We got the three girls upstairs with their backpacks and Julie's suitcase and told them they could change in my office and keep their clothes in there as well. I didn't know what I was going to do with the girls for tomorrow and called Ella to advise her of the change of plans.

"I brought Becky and Maggie back with us to have a sleep over for a few days with Julie so you will be cooking for the three of them." I explained.

"Well I'm sure they will eat whatever Stephanie would eat so I will cook something special for the four of them." Ella encouraged.

"Ella I didn't plan on bringing them all back tonight. What are some things that we could do tomorrow with the three of them and what can they do with Stephanie on Monday?" I wondered.

"Take them to the water park tomorrow and then take them to the zoo on Monday." She suggested.

"That sounds like a great idea. I'll research it and let you know what time we need breakfast tomorrow and, if you have it on hand, some snacks to take with us would be great."

"Of course and I have some hot chocolate and cookies for them tonight once they are all ready for bed so don't let them brush their teeth yet." She offered.

"Sure, they would like that."

I hung up with her and realized that my laptop was in my office where the three girls were changing.

"Babe, would you do me a big favor?"

"Sure"

"Could you go into my office and get my laptop? We've got to plan what we are going to do for the next two days."

Several minutes later I found the Crystal Springs Family Waterpark. They had lots of big rides and a lazy river. I called Ella back and asked her to have breakfast ready around 8:30. She said she would have everything ready and I wondered again if I paid that woman enough money.

I was planning on giving her and Louis a trip to Hawaii but things have gotten away from me and I hadn't done it yet. Maybe while we were gone on our Honeymoon I could give her a week off. Damn selfish of me but that would be one less thing she would have to worry about covering for while she was gone. If the building was clean enough maybe I could hire a caterer to come in while she was gone. I'd have to ask Tank what he thought.

Half an hour later the three girls were sitting on the couch watching Netflix and eating cookies and drinking hot chocolate. Steph was sitting in the chair joining them and I was looking at what we could do with Julie the rest of the week. Once the cookies and hot chocolate was gone everyone invaded the bathroom to brush their teeth and then it was time for bed.

Once the girls were settled I realized that I felt funny having sex only a few feet away from listening ears. I could still hear the TV on and made a mental note to go out there in an hour and turn it off because they would all be asleep by then. I took Stephanie in my arms and held her.

"No sex tonight?" She asked.

"Not while they are awake."

"Didn't think about that when you invited them all over did you?" She teased.

"No that hadn't crossed my mind till we were driving home."

"No sex for 5 days. Can you survive that?"

"Oh we'll have sex. I'm going to wake you up as soon as they have all gone to sleep."

An hour later I checked on the girls. Turned the TV off and prepared to wake Stephanie up.

To be continued…

Posting this a day early because I am working more right now and would have to post late tomorrow. This is the last chapter for a while. I am leaving next week and will be gone until July 8th. I wanted to get a bunch of chapters written before I left but it didn't happen. RL invaded. My mother came to visit for a week and I have been working more than full time so my writing time has been limited. I'm not going to be able to do much writing while I am gone as we will be with family and then out touring Washington DC. This is our big vacation for the year and we are very excited.

Thank you all for reading. I appreciate all my readers sooo much. I promise to finish this story when I get back. All the excitement is coming up with the wedding and surprises to hopefully entertain and enthrall.

Thank you to all my reviewers. I really appreciate you and the time you take to send me a few kind words. They are very encouraging. Thank you to: Vulcan Rider, ybanrmlmom, Garbonzobeans, trhodes09, Kriannalfer, shellbell78, daxandpat, baileygirl12, tanyaleigh (thanks I do read all the reviews and they do affect my writing) aruvquan, nancd24, Necie77, the newest daughter, Buddy'sBabe, joycon98, annalynn88, katannc. I'll let you all know when I am back!


	7. Beta Request

Hi everyone,

This is not another chapter of Saving Stephanie this is a personal request from me to all my readers. First of all I want you to know that I have not given up on this story. Last year when I went on vacation a very traumatic event occurred. My daughter and I totaled our vehicle. We were in a roll over and the car rolled twice down the side of the road going 80 mph. I was not speeding that was the speed limit. But the back tire blew and the car went out of control.

As an adult I am not a really religious person. I was raised in a very strict religion but I do not follow it as an adult. But I can say nothing but that the Angels, the spirits, or God was with us because our car rolled over twice; was completely totaled on every side and we barely came away with one bruise and a few scrapes. When the police got there we were walking around. Other people had gotten there; our windshield had gotten busted out and they helped us get out of the car because you couldn't get out either door as it was on its side. We were both trapped, hanging in our seat belts and a nice strong guy climbed into our busted out windshield to help us get loose.

When the police saw the wreck, down at the bottom of the hill; they were just freaking out. They wanted to call an ambulance to have us checked out. They made us sit down for 15 minutes even though we'd already been up walking around for the 20 minutes it took for police to get there. They were certain that we had some kind of serious injuries because they had never seen anybody walk away from a car that was so totally demolished with no injuries. But there is no other way to say it: WE WERE BLESSED and we were protected and we were saved.

Needless to say, our vacation was cut short. We did get to our family reunion and got to see my grandmother one last time for her 90th birthday celebration with the family. She passed away last July one month after we all got to see her. But the whole event was very traumatizing to me and I am going to be so honest with you all I am not the most emotionally stable person. I take medications every day to help regulate myself and I became so depressed I stopped taking my medications. Which only severely compounded the problem. I got so upset about my story I almost took it down and deleted everything but I know how upset I've been over other authors that have removed their works that I couldn't do that.

For several months I was so depressed I couldn't even read any fanfiction. But time went on and Janet Evanovich's 25th book came out. And I got it and read it. I actually re-read all 24 books and then reread the 25th book several more times. I have to say I like the 25th book better than some of the more recent books. You may or may not agree I don't know how much longer she can continue the series but I felt that the 25th book wasn't awful, it felt like an improvement.

Eventually that got me back into trying to write a little bit and at this point I have written two more chapters to Saving Stephanie but I've lost my Beta. I was to be honest, at this point Saving Stephanie is on the back burner. I'm not giving up on it I just can't follow where the story has taken me and maybe with some help and encouragement from a beta I could move it along but first another project has caught me. I've started writing a new Stephanie-Ranger story and I have written 29ish chapters of it. I've written the beginning most of the middle and the end and I have five or six or ten chapters that are middle in between chapters that still need to be written but the bulk of the story is complete. I am posting this today as I am on vacation again for another week and a half but I am looking for a new beta. I have looked through all the beta's on JE's fanfiction and no one has posted a new beta profile in the last 3 years and everyone I have contacted has not responded. I can't find any active beta's in the Stephanie Plum world.

I need someone that is very familiar with the Stephanie Plum world because I want characters that are true to the books and I want someone to be able to give me feedback on their lines and their actions that stays somewhat true to Cannon. I need someone that can do more than just check spelling and errors I need someone that can give me real feedback on my lines and the way I've written things and the way the characters interact and give me real feedback on the story and maybe even add lines or add thoughts that they feel need to be added. I really appreciate a lot of feedback on my stories as I'm writing them. I also need someone that is a good cheerleader. That is supportive and encouraging. I don't necessarily need a quick turn around. I try to give you time to really process each chapter.

I am really excited about this new story. It has things in it that has never happened before in any story on fanfiction and I think it will be well received. It is very creative to say the least.

So if you are someone who would be interested in betaing a new story with me and helping me finish Saving Stephanie please PM me. I will be able to check my PMS for the next week before I'm back on the road again. If you know someone else or someone else has been a beta for you send me their name and their fanfiction name so I can try to contact them. Writing is one of the best things for my mental health and my fighting depression. It really makes me happy in a way that nothing else in my life does. So I am very anxious to get back to it and to start posting a new story. Please be patient with me I want to finish all the chapters before I start posting the new story so it'll probably be two or three months before I start posting. But once I start posting I'll be able to post more often and I'll have the whole story written; maybe not beta'ed and edited; but written.

I really appreciate all the PM's and messages I've gotten over the last year from different supportive individuals encouraging me, it really means a lot to have your support. And now I need your support more than ever to help find a good beta to continue working on my stories.

Thank you all for all of your help and support;

Jennifer

Rangerbabe21


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